


Enticement

by Kage Kitsune (Kage_Kitsune), Kage_Kitsune



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-12 23:03:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 79,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20572391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kage_Kitsune/pseuds/Kage%20Kitsune, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kage_Kitsune/pseuds/Kage_Kitsune
Summary: Completely AU, but still a magical setting. Harry's fifth year has just ended and his summer holiday is fast becoming the worst holiday of his life. His parents are fighting, he might have failed an O.W.L. or two and now he's being targeted by Dumbledore's adopted son for a date. Warning: Shonen ai, slash. Harry/ Tom A birthday gift for my wonderful friend and reader Gar.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gurgaraneth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gurgaraneth/gifts).

> So, it’s that time of year again, a bit late, but what can I say? I was so sick I didn’t even realize my buddy’s birthday was upon us so I’ll keep this short. Happy Birthday my dear friend Gar.  
Notes: (X) pov change and or time jump.  
Warnings: Shonen ai, yaoi, slash, gay. Harry Potter/Tom Riddle jr.  
Added notes: AU, Voldemort never became an evil dark lord.  
More notes: Due to my schedule, work, health, updates are sporadic. Sorry everyone.
> 
> Also, thank you for the reviews and kudos. I had no idea how people would take this story, but I'm so glad there are plenty of fans.

Chapter 1

Harry could not believe his luck. He should have known something was amiss when his parents, both of whom were usually rooted to the train station platform waiting for him, were nowhere to be seen when he stepped off the Hogwarts’ Express. Not once in the five years that he’d attended the magical boarding school had they ever failed to send him off or retrieve him at Platform Nine and Three Quarters and yet that was exactly what had happened at the end of his fifth term. He’d wondered if perhaps his godfather had stolen his father away as he sometimes did, but surely his mother would have come to fetch him.

His unease began to grow as he’d scanned the numerous witches and wizards present, some of which he knew, but none that would be in charge of taking him home.

“You still haven’t spotted your family,” Ron asked approaching him. Ron’s family had been easy to spot thanks to the large Weasley’s clan bright red hair. Even as more people entered the platform, Ron’s family was impossible to lose among the crowd. In fact, it was growing more noticeable as Ron’s brothers joined his mother and sister.

“They’re probably just running late,” Harry said sure that his parents were fine and that they had not somehow forgotten that today was the day he returned from school. Even if it had slipped their minds, they spoke with other witches and wizards. They talked to Ron’s parents almost on a daily basis. Both Ron’s dad and Harry’s own worked at the ministry, even if they were in different departments. His return date had to have come up in conversation at least once in the past few hours.

“Have they ever been late before?”

Harry shot his best friend a dark look, the red head shrinking back. No, they had never been late, had always been right next to the train with larges smiles on their faces and waving. Sometimes Sirius was with them, once Sirius, Remus, and his parents had been waiting for him. That had been after his fourth year. He’d been surprised to find all four of them waiting for him on the platform. From there they’d gone out to eat in Diagon Alley. All of them had wanted to hear about the Triwizard Tournament. Harry had given them the best accounts that he could; it wasn’t like he’d been in the tournament himself and he’d already told them all the details he could in his letters. They’d all listened intently and asked follow up questions, some of which Harry could answer, others he couldn’t. To think that all four of these people, all of whom were family to him, could forget him…

He’d scanned the crowd again, but no one was entering the platform, plenty of them now leaving. The crowd began to thin out, Ron waiting beside him in silence.

“You’re still here,” Hermione asked. “Usually you’re gone by now.”

“His parents forgot about him,” Ron said before Harry could utter a word.

“Ron,” Hermione said warningly.

“Someone is bound to show up,” Harry said. Someone had to show up; there was no way he could make it back to Godric’s Hollow by himself. He couldn’t Apparate yet and he’d done enough side alongs not to want to try it anyway. He’d get in trouble if he tried his broomstick and he didn’t have any Muggle money on him to take the bus. “Can you travel by Floo Powder here?”

“I don’t think so,” Ron said. “Hermione?”

“Not that I’ve ever heard of, but that is a good idea,” Hermione said. “That would probably save a lot of people a great deal of trouble.”

His two friends had helped him look the crowd over, but after the platform had emptied out besides them, he’d had no choice, but to admit that his parents had forgotten him.

“We’ll get you home,” Mrs. Weasley had said.

“Let me know what happened,” Hermione whispered and left with her parents.

And so, the Weasley family, thank Merlin, had shown pity on their friends’ son and taken him back to their house. None of them seemed to know what was going on or where Harry’s parents were, but at least he’d gotten to leave Platform Nine and Three Quarters. After spending a long car ride with Ron and the rest of his family in a very illegally, magically, altered car that allowed for all of them to sit comfortably inside, they’d made it to the Burrow. Harry had thanked them and promised to let them know what had happened with his parents.

“If anything’s wrong you can stay with us,” Mrs. Weasley had said giving Harry a tight hug.

“Thanks Mrs. Weasley.”

After Ron’s mother had released him, she’d grabbed the small pouch containing Floo Powder from off the fireplace mantel.

Harry had taken a small handful and thrown the contents down harder than he’d intended to. The powder flew up around him as he said clearly, “Potter’s Cottage!” His lungs filled with the Floo Powder as he did and when he stumbled out of his fireplace into his living room, he was not only dizzy, but also coughing horribly. He’d staggered towards the nearest overstuffed arm chair and held onto it with one hand, the other hitting his chest trying to dislodge the Floo Powder that he’d accidentally inhaled.

Once his coughing fit had ended and the tears in his eyes had faded, he walked into the main hall. Four large suitcases were standing next to the front door.

“Harry! What are you doing here!?” His father had appeared from the staircase, a look of utter shock on his face. “That’s…” He glanced down at his watch, his face falling. “Lily! We forgot Harry!”

_So they did forget. _And yet, while Harry was indeed pissed that his parents had forgotten their only child at a train station miles away from home, he was relieved that they were okay. The closer they’d gotten to the Burrow, the more his stomach had twisted itself in knots over the “What ifs” playing through his mind. What if something had happened to them on their way to pick Harry up? What if one of his parents were sick, or dead, and no one had wanted to tell him until he’d returned home. What if, what if, what if….? _Stop it, they’re okay. _

“Harry!” His mother’s voice was panicked and suddenly he could hear her running towards them. “We need to go…!” She’d stopped in her tracks when her eyes fell on Harry standing at the bottom of the steps. “How did you get home?”

“Mrs. Weasley was nice enough to take me to the Burrow and let me use Floo Powder.”

“Right, Molly told us earlier to remember,” James said letting out a laugh. “And we still forgot.”

Lily sighed moving passed her husband and walking fast towards Harry. She threw her arms around him tightly, tighter even than Mrs. Weasley had managed.

“I’m so glad you’re alright and I’m so sorry we weren’t there to pick you up.”

The last of Harry’s angry had faded them. He’d returned the hug, just glad to be with his family again.

“So where are you going…?”

“What? Oh, all of us are going,” Lily said releasing her son. “Make sure you go pack some things. Summer things.”

“Okay…?” Harry watched his mother climb the stairs, jump up them really, and vanish down the hall once more. His father was still grinning down at him.

“Your mother won the prestigious “Superiority in the Healing Arts Award!” He gave a flourish of his hands and froze in a dramatic pose. As Harry approached the stairs, his father broke into another fit of laughter. “It really is a big honor.”

“I know,” Harry said. And he did know. He’d heard his mother speak of the award from time to time, usually based on the candidates that were nominated and what she thought of them. Harry and his father would just nod, because their knowledge of healers was limited to what tidbits they remembered from Lily’s previous conversations, which tended not to be a lot. Harry just wasn’t that interested in healing. He was glad others were, because he’d be in bad shape from all the crashes, attacks, and curses thrown at him during Quidditch matches if no one practiced the art. If not for Madam Pomfrey, he’d probably be paralyzed. “Where are we going anyway?”

“Wiltshire,” James said. “So make sure to pack your “rich” robes.”

Harry blanched. Wiltshire? He had to spend some of his summer in Wiltshire?

“Not the whole vacation,” Harry said, desperation creeping into his voice. Wiltshire was where all the “self-appointed important” wizards and witches lived. While James wasn’t bothered much, Lily and Harry often got snide remarks and looks of disgust from the magical community there.

“No, not the whole vacation. After your mother receives her reward we’re going to Switzerland.”

Once again, relief had flooded through Harry’s body. He wouldn’t be spending weeks in Wiltshire, which is what the suitcases by the door suggested, that they would be gone for weeks.

And so Harry had packed some of his summer attire, light robes, his dress robes, muggle clothing, and his swimsuit. He’d also thrown in a few books about Quidditch, one about Defense, and another about Potions. He made a face at the Potion’s book before dropping his clothes on top of it. He really didn’t want to bring any books with him, but his mother would disapprove if he didn’t bring at least one. Once all the packing had been finished and they’d shared a quick lunch of sandwiches, they were out the door. James and Harry had loaded the car trunk with their luggage and then they were off, which was where Harry was at the moment, trying not to lose his mind.

Why couldn’t we just use Floo Powder to get to Wiltshire? They’d done it before in the past. If not that, even though Harry despised it, why not Apparate? It would have been uncomfortable, but it beat sitting in a car for the next three hours with only fields and skies to look at.

_Forgot to tell Ron and Hermione what happened. _As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was somewhat glad to be confined in the car. At least stuck in the backseat watching the nondescript scenery pass by, he didn’t have to try to come up with some kind of explanation. How did you explain to your two best friends that your parents had conveniently forgotten you over an award? Harry, their only child. The star Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team who’d broken numerous Seeker records at the school. Sure, he’d probably done badly on some of his O.W.L.S. and he wasn’t the best at school work, but his Defense abilities were good. Professor McGonagall had warned him early in the year if he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps in being an Auror that he’d need to pick up the slack. He’d tried, asking Hermione for help and while he didn’t think he’d gotten any failing grades, he wasn’t sure if he’d gotten high enough ones to continue in all the required subjects for the job.

_No sense in worrying about it now. _He’d get his grades later on in the summer and that was that. Either his parents would be pleased, he hoped they would be, or his mother was going to very disappointed in her son, even if she wouldn’t openly admit it. Harry knew the exact face his mother would make and that the only way he’d fix it would be to try harder, maybe find some way to retake the O.W.L.S. for that class and show her he could do it, or they’d spend months awkwardly communicating as little as possible. His father was much more accepting in any grades Harry received. He and Sirius had told Harry if not for Remus, neither of them would have passed any classes, and they’d barely scraped by on their O.W.L.S. but he wasn’t allowed to tell his mother that.

Harry stared up at the ceiling of the car. He was going to be so sore, was already sore, from sitting all day. First, the long ride from Hogwarts to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the long ride to the Burrow, and now a three hour car ride to Wiltshire, which again struck him as odd. Why were they driving? Why not just Apparate there and then back to Godric’s Hollow to get their luggage and Apparate again to Switzerland. As he thought about it however, he realized his mother would never agree to such a thing. While she would be okay with Apparating to Wiltshire, Switzerland was another matter.

_Other families would just Apparate, _he thought bitterly. Ron’s family definitely would have.

“So, how did your exams go,” Lily asked. It was the first words that had been spoken in the car, no doubt due to his parent’s shame of forgetting him and their fear that he would be angry with them. He was, but not enough to hold it against them. He had gotten home. If he’d been forced to spend the night at Platform Nine and Three Quarters he wouldn’t have been so forgiving.

“They were hard,” Harry said opting to tell the truth. It wouldn’t do any good to lie, especially once his parents saw his grades. “I studied with Hermione a lot, but I don’t know if it was enough.”

His mother looked pleased when she turned around.

“Did you use the study guides I sent you?”

“We did,” Harry said. “Thank you for that. Hermione used them to make mock tests.”

“You sent Harry your old O.W.L.S. guides,” James asked, almost groaned.

“They were his O.W.L.S. James. Those tests can set him on the right or wrong path for a good life.”

“Yeah, sure. As long as he doesn’t flunk anything, between Sirius and me, he’s as good as got a job in the Auror’s office.”

Lily gave a small huff.

“I want him to have options.”

“He told me he wanted to be an Auror, didn’t you Harry?” He could see his father’s eyes in the rearview mirror begging him to agree with him and in fact, he had asked his father and Sirius before the start of his fifth year about getting into the Auror office. His father and godfather did so much good, even if the job could be boring at times, and he wanted to join them.

“I did,” Harry said hoping that disapproving look he knew all too well didn’t grace his mother’s features. “I want to help people—“

“Healer’s help people!”

“I want to help them like Dad does…like Sirius does…”

His mother snorted and looked away from the two males in the car, her eyes now focused on the rolling fields outside the passenger window. He saw his father give a quick shake of his head and roll his eyes in the mirror again and the silence returned to the car only this time with an awkwardness to it. Harry no longer wanted to be around his parents and wished he’d just stayed at the Burrow until his family realized he was missing. At the rate they were going, they might not have even noticed his disappearance until long after the awards ceremony. The thought hurt a bit, because he was often his parents’ focus. Or, maybe that was just what he’d believed. Perhaps once his parents sent him off to Hogwarts they completely forgot about him except to send him letters and care packages. They were good for that, especially his father who often sent him random prank items. Harry didn’t use them often, but Fred and George had taken quite a few of them for their own purposes. Harry had pretended not to notice.

By the time, Harry could see the many homes and buildings peeking up over the horizon, he wanted to claw his way out of the car. The awkward silence hanging over them in the car had slowly turned into agitated noises, followed by glares, and crescendoing in a full out fight between his parents over whether or not either of them cared about Harry’s future or what he wanted. Neither of them seemed to have an answer thirty minutes later and when they pulled up to the small inn they’d be staying at, Harry bolted from the car. Smartly, his parents did not call after him.

He’d been in Wiltshire enough to know the general area, was glad that they’d decided to stay in a smaller inn instead of one of the larger hotels. He walked passed the swinging sign that read “The Black Cat’s Inn” and down the long winding sidewalk. If he remembered right, there was a wizarding pub not too far from the Cat’s Inn. Sure, enough nestled between a bakery and a bookstore was the pub he remembered from a previous visit, “The Toad’s Pond.” He pushed the door open and went straight for the first open table. He sat down; a pretty witch with chestnut brown hair placed a menu in front of him.

“Anything to drink?”

“Butterbeer please,” he said needing a pick me up.

“Cold or warm?”

“Warm.”

“Got it.” She winked at him and walked off, leaving Harry alone with the menu. He scanned the items not entirely hungry, but after the long drive to Wiltshire and the long ride from Hogwarts, he didn’t want to be anywhere near a small room, let alone his parents.

“Why Harry, I believe I just saw you a few hours prior?”

There was no mistaking the voice. Harry knew immediately who it was before even looking up. Why was he having so much bad luck today? Thank Merlin the O.W.L.S.’ grades weren’t being delivered today.

“You did,” Harry said quietly looking up from his menu. Dumbledore was standing next to his table smiling his usual smile.

“I heard your mother was nominated for the Superiority in the Healing Arts Award. Not a surprise in the least. Lily has always shown a wonderful amount of intelligence. You must be so proud of her.”

_Right, only mum and dad know she’s won. _He felt like the headmaster knew he wasn’t happy and without warning Dumbledore took a seat across from him. _Of course. _Harry had the joy of not only seeing Dumbledore at school, but sometimes at home or the Burrow as well. Ron and he both agreed they had some of the worst luck, because both their parents were friends with the headmaster. He didn’t show up a lot, but when he did, they were both expected to act like proper gentleman, something Harry hated to do. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, he usual manner was somewhat quiet compared to others, but to be told he had to behave, it just made him want to act out. Sirius had told him that was his father’s blood in him.

“And what will you be eating on this fine evening?”

“I don’t know,” Harry said laying the menu down on the table. Dumbledore was still examining him with sparkling blue eyes. Many of the students believed Dumbledore was a Legilimens. The headmaster seemed to know exactly what was going through anyone’s mind just by looking at them. He hoped that wasn’t the case. Dumbledore didn’t need to know that his parents were fighting about him, possibly had been for a while now, because based on parts of the arguments Harry had heard, before his mother had used Muffliato to keep the yelling in the front of the car, it had sounded like a continuation from a previous fight. Maybe even more than one.

“That won’t do.” The headmaster lifted up the menu and began scanning it. “I would recommend the Chocolate Trifle cake.”

“For dinner,” Harry asked.

“Perhaps not,” Dumbledore said winking at him.

The server returned and set Harry’s Butterbeer on the table.

“So what will you be having?”

“Umm…” While he did kind of deserve the Chocolate Trifle cake after all he’d been put through that day, his mother’s face flashed through his mind just daring him to have his dessert before a real dinner. “Cornish Pasties and a side of chips,” he said handing her the menu. “And the Chocolate Trifle cake for dessert,” he added a grin finding its way to his face.

“Will you be joining him sir?” She was looking at Dumbledore now and seemed to be trying to think where she knew the older wizard from.

“Alas, I’m merely chatting with a friend,” he said, dramatics leaking into his voice. “I’m simply passing the time until I must meet with someone. I will however take a glass of lemonade?”

“Sure.” The waitress wrote down their orders and vanished from view.

“Who are you waiting for,” Harry asked. The second he’d said it, he knew he shouldn’t have. He let his horror show on his face and then shook his head. “Never mind.”

Dumbledore chuckled and Harry wished he could just leave, but the longer he’d been sitting and smelling the delicious foods going passed him to other tables, the more he wanted to stay and eat.

“It’s quite alright Harry. It’s not like I’m holding a secret meeting with the Ministry of Magic.” He laughed again, the tension in Harry fading. “I’m waiting for my son.”

“The one who studies abroad,” Harry asked. He’d heard Hermione speak often of Tom, usually going on about how brilliant Dumbledore’s son was. While Hermione didn’t know him personally, she often pointed out many of his “accomplishments” that were marked in books, or the Daily Prophet. Most of it related to magical creatures. Harry had never met Tom either, despite all the times Dumbledore had joined Ron and his’ families for dinners, nor had he even seen a picture, but he imagined the man must be about his father’s age, maybe a little younger. “How is he doing?”

“Splendid if you can call it that,” Dumbledore said smiling brightly. “His input helped a group of healers create a new healing cream. It heals faster and is much stronger than what we have in our cabinets at home right now.” The headmaster looked so proud of his son. Maybe if he’d applied himself and listened to Hermione more, his parents would look at him that way too and maybe they wouldn’t be fighting over where his future was headed.

“Do you think being an Auror is a pointless job?”

The smile slipped off Dumbledore’s face, his eyes now serious.

“No. I would say that an Auror’s job is very difficult at times and a much needed job in our community. Without Auror’s our community would fall apart. There would be no one to catch the rather dark wizards or witches that sometimes appear and believe me Harry that is the last thing we need.” He studied Harry a moment longer. “Why?”

“I want to be an Auror,” Harry said. It was well known amongst his professors what his intentions were. The only one that had sneered at him was Snape and his mother had set that straight before his bullying had even started. He’d complained about the Potion’s teacher before many times, but his mother had actually stepped in at the beginning of his fifth year saying his studies were too important from that point onward. Snape had retreated, but glared at Harry every chance he got, no doubt hoping he’d accidentally poison himself.

“Yes, I’ve seen all of the career paths the fifth years are attempting.”

“I don’t think my mum wants me to.”

“Hmm….” The waitress placed Harry’s food in front of him just as Dumbledore pulled out his pocket watch. He seemed surprised at the time and stood up. “I do apologize Harry, my son should be arriving any moment and he’ll be most displeased if I’m not there to meet him.” He took out a few galleons from his pocket and handed them to the witch. “Please keep the change. Next time I’ll make sure I know the time before ordering something.” He hurried out the door then without a single look back. The witch shrugged, taking the lemonade back and left Harry alone.

_At least Dumbledore remembered his son at the last minute. _Had his parents really forgotten him? Maybe they’d been fighting so much over Harry’s future they’d “forgotten” him so he’d go somewhere else for the summer. He knew both of his parents loved him, but perhaps his lack of intelligence and abilities were putting a strain on their relationship. It was too late to study harder or do better. He could try harder for the N.E.W.T.S., if he could take those courses, but somehow he already felt like he’d failed. He’d let both of his parents down, worried more about Quidditch than his future, and now they were trying to find some way to fix it.

The Cornish pasties no longer looked appetizing. He nibbled on one all the same, knowing he’d regret it later if he didn’t and picked at some of his fries. The witch brought out his piece of cake when it was obvious he wasn’t going to eat any more of his actual dinner, but even that didn’t seem worth the effort of eating.

“Can I take this with me,” he asked. The witch nodded and pulled her wand out. She taped the cake, a box wrapping around it.

“It’ll stay fresh in there,” she said.

“Thanks.” Harry paid her, he always had Wizarding money on him, and got up. “Is the bookstore one of ours,” Harry asked her.

“No, but there’s one farther down the street that way. It’s the last shop on the street,” she said pointing to her left. “Not a big selection, but not bad.”

Harry thanked her again and left the pub. It was beginning to cool off as the sun got lower, but he wasn’t ready to go back to the hotel. Instead, he started down the street in the direction the witch had pointed in. If he started now, maybe he could get better grades.

_Better grades doesn’t really solve my problem though, _he realized. He wanted to be an Auror, was pretty sure he would get the job one way or another, and getting perfect grades wouldn’t change that. What he needed was his mother to change her mind. His father was quite content with him becoming an Auror, Sirius had been thrilled to hear it, but his mother. What did she want him to do anyway? Study to be a healer? That was the last thing on his mind. He hated Potions’ class and he didn’t want to spend his days making sure people got their medication or trying to fix their ailments. He wanted to track down dark witches and wizards. He wanted to go after people who made things unsafe for the rest of the wizarding community. He wanted to make a difference. He was good at dueling, excelled at Defense; he had earned a higher score last year in Defense than Hermione had. So, why was his mother so against it?

Someone shoved against Harry, the Gryffindor stumbling forward. He managed to keep the box in his hand just as he jerked his head up to glare at the offender.

“Potter.”

“Malfoy,” Harry said watching the Slytherin.

“Why are you in my town?”

“Healers awards,” Harry said.

Draco Malfoy was not his favorite person, but far from, his most hated one. When Hermione and Ron weren’t around, Draco was almost tolerable. He hated that Draco couldn’t be decent all the time, to his friends especially, and Harry had tried to get the Slytherin to be decent, but Draco had refused.

“Right, we always get unwanted company during this time.” He scrunched his face up as if he’d inhaled a horrible scent. “Your mother is up for some kind of award, right?”

“Yeah.” Harry allowed himself to relax and the two started down the sidewalk. It seemed for now Draco would be decent enough. Harry never understood why Draco was okay with him, but not Ron. Ron may be poor, but he was more of a pureblood than Harry was ever going to be. _I guess money makes up for my Mudblood, _he thought rolling his eyes.

“Where are you headed anyway? The only thing this way is the bookstore.”

“That’s where I was going.”

“You, read?” He gave a quick laugh, his face falling when he saw the look on Harry’s face. “What’s going on?”

“My family is fighting. About me I think.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at that.

“Are you kidding me?_ Your _parents?”

Harry gave a halfhearted shrug. He should be talking about this with Sirius, or Ron, or Hermione, but not Draco. Draco was much more an acquaintance than a friend.

“I told mum I wanted to be an Auror and she wasn’t too happy about it.”

“You don’t actually have to work,” Draco said.

“No, but what else would I do,” Harry asked. The thought of not working had never occurred to him. He was in school to learn, he had to pass tests. Both of his parents had jobs. Despite their small fortune hidden away in Gringotts, they lived in a normal sized home. There were no servants or house elves. Harry had always been told finding a good job was important. “Maybe we are poor.”

Draco laughed again, this time for real.

“What,” Harry asked.

“You’re not poor,” Draco said when he’d gotten control of himself. “My father doesn’t allow me to interact with poor people.”

“Or half-bloods, but here you are, still talking to me.”

“More like a quarter,” Draco said no longer looking at Harry.

“You’ve actually had this conversation with your dad, haven’t you?” Harry was shocked and yet knew he shouldn’t be. That Draco had, had to convince his father that the Potter family was still pure enough, still rich enough, for him to interact with him, was just too much. “What about Crabbe and Goyle?”

“Those aren’t friends,” Draco spat, his face turning red.

Harry had to agree. He could at least hold a normal conversation with Ron and Hermione. Draco probably had to draw pictures and show diagrams to get even the smallest understanding to happen among his goons.

“This would be easier if you’d just talk with Ron and Hermione.”

“If I could, I would,” he said shrugging. They’d had this conversation before. If Draco’s father found out he talked to a poor wizarding family, like Ron’s, or a muggle born witch like Hermione, he’d be sent to another school, and possibly disowned. Harry wasn’t sure he believed that, but the fact that his father had even made those threats, showed how much he hated those “types” of people.

“It’s our lives, isn’t it? Why should our parents always have a say in it?”

“Because we live in their homes,” Draco offered.

“So all I have to do is get my own place?”

It sounded too easy, but it wasn’t. Even if he moved out, it still wouldn’t stop his parents from fighting and it definitely wouldn’t make his mother accept his wish to become an Auror.

“It’s just a few months,” Draco said. They crossed a bridge, a beautiful river running beneath it. Harry couldn’t help himself. He looked over the edge and watched the dark blue water rushing by, a family of ducks riding the current. Wild flowers dotted both sides, red and yellow ones. It was peaceful. “My parents fight all the time, but it’s never about me.” Draco leaned his back against the brick wall and folded his arms across his chest.

“I guess I’m lucky I’m what they’re bickering about.”

“Yeah.”

They remained where they were for some time, Draco eventually turning around and watching the water with Harry. How could the two of them come from such different backgrounds and have such similar problems? Until now, Harry had believed his parents would be happy with anything he chose to do with his life, as long as it meant he was happy. His father seemed to have that mindset, while his mother seemed to want better. Why though? They had all seemed happy enough up until this point. Why did Harry need to become a healer of all things?

“I wish they’d stop. It would take a miracle for me to pass even a few of the healer classes and I have no interest in healing.” He sighed and slid the box towards Draco. “I don’t really feel like eating this.”

“I don’t take leftovers,” Draco sneered sliding the box back to Harry.

“I didn’t touch it. I ordered it from The Frog’s pond and the witch boxed it up immediately. It’s Chocolate trifle.”

Draco seemed to consider this. He pulled the box back.

“You’re sure you don’t want it? They have pretty good cake.”

“I did, but not anymore.” He shook his head. He could just make out the bookstore at the end of the sidewalk. “I don’t want to be a healer.”

“Then don’t be.” Draco had opened the box already and grabbed a plastic fork that had been placed inside. “You’ll be of age soon, it won’t matter what your mum thinks.”

“Does that mean you’ll talk to Ron and Hermione our seventh year?” Draco gave a small grunt and shoved a piece of cake into his mouth. “Exactly.” Even if they were of age, they were both trying to keep their parents happy. What he really needed was to talk with Sirius. His godfather would know what to do, how to get his mother to accept his career choice. If he couldn’t, maybe Sirius could talk Remus into persuading her. He glanced at Draco. At least Harry had others supporting him, family he could rely on. Draco only had himself and the rules lied out before him by his parents. “Do you think you’ll do stuff your dad disapproves of once you’ve moved out?”

“Probably. I already do.” He motioned to the cake with the fork he was holding. “This isn’t exactly high quality food.”

Harry nodded. He broke off a piece of the cake’s corner and popped it into his mouth. High quality or not, it was pretty good.

“I thought you weren’t eating any.”

“I realized I have backup.”

He let Draco finish the cake off and they started for the bookstore. Harry had a completely different goal in mind now however. They went in, cold air rushing at them.

“Mr. Malfoy, welcome!” A thin, older wizard wearing dark blue robes shouted. He looked strained and kept glancing around the doorway as if expecting the door to blow up.

“I’m alone,” Draco said, the older wizard relaxing.

“Really,” Harry asked in disbelief.

“My father terrorizes everyone. So what are you looking for anyway?”

“Parchment, ink, a quill.”

Draco led him to a small section in the back of the store. There wasn’t a big selection, but the few items laid out looked like they were decent and wouldn’t fall apart after the first few uses. He removed a black quill, some ink, and a pack of parchment paper.

"You're in the way." The voice was annoyed and full of arrogance. "And wasting your money. The quality of those items is garbage at best. They're not going to work well."

Harry turned from the shelf, preparing to glare, maybe tell the person off, and walk away from the wizard who just couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself, only to fail miserably, his breath catching in his throat. The wizard was tall, a few inches more than he was, with thick black hair falling just passed his ears, beautiful red eyes, and the most amazing cheekbones Harry had ever lied his eyes on. The wizard couldn’t be much older than Draco or him. Harry caught a flash of something in the teen’s eyes before only annoyance showed again.

_My family will just fight more if I get into it with some famous wizard and witch’s son, _he told himself. This guy had to be the son of some healer, no doubt in town for the awards ceremony. The way he held himself, the way he talked, it was obvious he was used to getting his way and thinking he was better than others. It reminded him of Draco’s attitude on steroids.

If only he could get away with a little magic. Or, even a physical attack. Sirius had shown him a few Muggle moves just in case he ever needed them. So far, he hadn’t, but he’d wanted to try a few of them out, and this teen with his beautiful face and arrogant attitude was the perfect test dummy.

“Well?” The teen was losing patience. It made Harry want to stay put longer, to see how long it would take until the teen lashed out and gave him a legitimate excuse for fighting him.

_You know you can’t…_ Mentally scowling he grabbed the quill, black and what looked to be a dyed eagle feather that he’d been reaching for before the teen had made an appearance.

“Commoner.”

Harry almost lost it at that. How could anyone be such an arse? Weren’t bookstores supposed to be neutral grounds?

_Don’t entice him._ With exceptional control, he turned his back on the teen and walked to the front counter, Draco following.

“You aren’t going to say anything,” Draco asked quietly.

“I hate people like that, do you know him,” Harry asked placing the items in front of the old wizard. He wrapped the items up, Harry paid. They both exchanged thank yous and Harry took his items.

“No.”

“Besides, I already have him beat.”

“You do,” Draco asked, his curiosity obvious. “How? It’s definitely not in looks.”

“I’m aware of that,” Harry hissed, his cheeks flushing. Were people really capable of being that good looking? “Maybe he’s using an appearance charm.” If Draco thought he was good looking than there had to be some kind of appearance altering, right? People just didn’t come that perfect looking.

They stepped back outside into the darkening sky. “This is better than looks.”

“Now you have to tell me.”

“I can’t, but you’ll see at the awards ceremony.” Harry couldn’t wait to see the smug look torn off that teen’s face. No one else knew outside of his family that his mother had won. Harry shouldn’t have known either, nor his father, but his mother had probably let it slip when word had arrived, or James had been in the room without the knowledge of the messenger. Regardless of the reason, knowing that one of this teen’s parents weren’t going to be receiving the award was one of the few things keeping him from walking back into the bookshop and cursing him.

“…You seem more agitated than usual.”

“Huh?” They were back on the bridge already, Harry hadn’t even noticed. It was true, he was annoyed with the teen, wanted to beat him with the pack of parchment paper he’d been holding, or grab the nearest book to do the job, but Draco was right. The teen had managed to get under his skin. Draco’s own verbal abuse hadn’t caused such a stir of emotions in him, even before they’d become uneasy acquaintances.

_I’m jealous? _That seemed like a logical conclusion. That teen was good-looking, no doubt smart, and probably had the world handed to him by his parents. A lot of his mother’s coworker’s children were like that. They went to specialized private tutoring schools, or their parents tutored them at home. They were fast tracked to becoming healers or official ministry workers at the top levels. _He probably doesn’t make his parents worry or fight either. _Maybe if he’d been more like that teen, his parents wouldn’t be bickering. His future would be secure in any job his mother wanted him to have. _But, I don’t want any job, I want to be an Auror, _he reminded himself and he was on track for that.

“Are you going to be at the awards ceremony,” Harry asked.

“Of course we are. My father gets invited to everything,” Draco said not sounding happy at all about that. “At least we can stay at home for this one.”

Harry gave a small nod. He almost told Draco about all the bad luck he’d endured up until this point, but decided against it. While Draco wasn’t insulting him right now, he’d just use the information once they were back at school and Harry didn’t want the students of Hogwarts to know that his parents had forgotten about him at the train station, even if the reason was understandable. No, best to keep his thoughts to himself, maybe let Sirius know in the letter he was going to write him. His godfather would have an answer to everything, if it was right or not was another matter entirely, but at least he’d try.

The teens said their goodbyes and separated at the front of the inn. Harry got the room number from the desk clerk. For once, he’d been lucky and his parents had remembered to tell the desk clerk that he would be coming and to give him the room number. The room was on the first floor, and when Harry stepped inside he was greeted by no one. The only sign that his parents had ever been in the room was the luggage placed besides the beds. They’d put Harry’s things by the second bed, the one closest to the sliding glass door, and so he climbed onto that one. The bed wasn’t comfortable like the beds at Hogwarts or comforting like his bed at home. It was hard, and Harry hoped clean.

Had his parents left the room, unable to remain in each other’s presence? It was eight o’clock. They might just be getting dinner.

Harry ripped open the pack of parchment and removed a piece then dipped the quill into the bottle of ink. If he worked fast, he could finish the letter before his parents returned.

**(TBC)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here’s chapter 2. Would have been up earlier, but my computer runs windows. If anyone has been paying attention (I sure as ---- haven’t, I had no idea the newest update was bad for your computer. So it’s fixed now after a panic and fast run down to a computer store.) Enjoy!  
Notes: Shonen ai, slash, Tom/Harry  
(X) is pov change and or time jump  
Remember, updates are sporadic

Chapter 2

The next day Harry tried to keep up and failed miserably. He’d finished the letter ---and no, nothing had fallen apart!--- long before his parents returned. The inn actually had owls, so Harry had been able to send it and return to the room without any problems. He was awoken at eight sharp and dragged to a hair salon. There a very tall witch told him how soft and lovely his hair was. That she regretted having to cut even a smidge off and then cut a few inches off without so much as a sigh. When his father and him were finished there, his father had shown him mercy and taken him to a muggle diner. There they were at least able to get some eggs and sausage for breakfast.

Harry wanted to ask his father how bad things were, but James didn’t seem up for much talking. He was keeping his sentences to the bare minimum, sometimes not even looking at Harry at all.

After two attempts to start a conversation, Harry had given up. He spent the rest of the day annoyed, only giving one-word answers to his parents and not in a nice tone either. They had lunch in silence in the inn’s room, and then his mother left for her own hair appointment leaving the two males to pull out their dress robes and change. Harry didn’t care much for the dress robes. They were nice looking but felt restricted compared to his everyday robes or the muggle clothing he sometimes wore.

His father still said nothing, which was fine with Harry. He stayed on the bed, his back to him, reading a book on Quidditch strategies. Maybe he should tell his parents he’d rather be a Quidditch player than an Auror. That might just send them running to their senses and make them leave him alone. An Auror was a far more stable career and a much better choice than attempting to be a famous Quidditch player.

“Let’s go. Oh, both of you!” Lily had entered the inn room. When Harry actually bothered to look at her, she looked both beautiful and terrifying. Her hair had been done up, loose curls framing her face and resting passed her exposed shoulders. The dress robes were a light purple, the sleeves hugging her upper arms, the rest of the robes slim with no wrinkle in sight.

“You look gorgeous,” James said climbing off the bed.

“Flattery is getting you nowhere. What were the two of you thinking lying in bed with your dress robes on? Come over here.” She stalked towards James, her wand out. She tapped James’ dress robes, the wrinkles he’d acquired over the past few hours straightening out. “Harry.”

Harry approached his mother and was awarded with the same spell on his own dress robes.

His mother walked around the two of them, inspecting them for anything that might be considered sloppy, or inappropriate.

“No pranks in your pocket James?” She lifted an eyebrow at her husband. “Or anything else that will cause harm, confusion, or complete embarrassment for me?”

“Not a thing, I’m clean today,” James said holding his hands up high into the air.

She turned to Harry who glared back at her.

“Harry—“

“No,” he said, both of his parents looking at him in surprise.

“I was only asking—“

“I know what you were asking,” Harry said his anger growing.

“Harry,” James warned.

Harry turned to his father then.

“No,” he said again, this time with more force. “I’m done with you two fighting, I’m done with the looks of disappointment, and I’m going to keep on track for getting a job as an Auror whether it’s a respectable enough job or not!” He hadn’t meant to scream the last sentence, but he had and when he was finished he stormed out the inn room door into the hallway. How were they supposed to enjoy a vacation in Switzerland if they couldn’t even stand to be around one another for a day? _Maybe I can go stay with Ron for the summer. _

He’d been so excited to come home and see his family for the summer holiday too.

“Someone’s in a foul mood today.”

Harry jerked his head; his eyes narrowed, ready to lash out, and stopped. The teen from the bookstore was sitting in a chair next to the inn’s front entrance, clothed in dress robes. The robes were exquisite, clinging to all the right spots, shimmering with hints of dark red, no doubt to accent his breathtaking eyes. He was reclining all too naturally within the chair and looked rather bored.

“I’m not in the mood,” Harry said. He stomped passed the teen out the front doors and decided to wait for his parents there. He had no idea where the awards ceremony was being held or he’d go by himself.

One of the doors opened the older teen stepping out. Harry wished he’d just go away, but no. He came over to Harry looking somewhat curious.

“Are you always this angry?”

Harry glared at him once more. No, he wasn’t always this angry. For some unknown reason, his life had decided to go completely mad since school let out. When he was at Hogwarts, even on the train, he’d had no problems. He’d been with his friends, they’d all been chatting happily about their summer plans, or at least things they wanted to do. Harry had gotten to say hi to Cho in passing. The Ravenclaw had finally deemed him worthy of saying hello to now that he was a star player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He’d returned to his seat feeling light and grinning like a fool. And, while he wasn’t confident in his actual exam results, the tests themselves hadn’t seemed particularly difficult. Challenging yes, but he felt like he’d done a good job on most of them.

"I've been curious since yesterday. Let me see something." The teen didn't give Harry a chance to answer. Instead, he snatched the glasses off of Harry's face, the Gryffindor glaring at him. "Hmm…"

"Give those back!" He moved forward, the teen stepping back. Harry, however, kept moving, his chest colliding with the other teen’s chest. The teen staggered back, the glasses dropping from his hand as he wrapped both arms tight around Harry. They fell back, the car behind them breaking their fall. "See what you've done!" If he could just die where he stood. His face was burning, actually, his entire body was burning, and he didn't want this arsehole to see it. He looked away, tried to pull himself out of the teen’s embrace, and failed. 

_Why is he so strong? _It irritated Harry that he couldn't break free of the teen's hold. Held in place he had no choice, but to admit that the teen was quite muscular beneath his dress robes and that a small part of Harry didn't want him to let go, which only angered him more. 

"Are you okay?" 

The words were a lot gentler than Harry had expected. 

"I'm fine...you?"

"...I'm alright."

He was positive that all the blood in his body had rushed to his face. Perfect. Just what he needed.

_No, what you need is a distraction! _It didn’t matter if the teen’s embrace was welcoming, warm, and annoyingly comfortable. Right now, he could hardly see a thing and whom did he have that to thank for?

“You broke my glasses,” Harry said looking towards what was left of his eyewear. He wasn’t sure about the extent of the damage, but even with his current blurry eyesight, he could tell that the frames were twisted. The teen or Harry must have stepped on them when they’d fallen.

“That’s easy enough to fix.”

Neither of them made any more moves to separate though. Instead, they stood there, Harry’s body relaxing against the teen’s own. It was such a strange feeling.

_And why isn’t he letting go? _Harry was used to some of the girls at Hogwarts flirting with him, especially after he’d been deemed one of the best Seekers in Hogwarts to date, okay, only because he’d been deemed as one of the best Seekers at Hogwarts to date. He’d realized it easily enough, having gone from just a good player to star, the girls in his school had suddenly decided he was someone interesting. Out of sheer stubbornness, he’d turned down all of them, partly because he didn’t want to date someone who was only interested in him being a Quidditch player, and partly because the only girl he actually liked was Cho. Not that he knew her that well, at all. And if that were true…and judging by how the teen had been acting in the short total of ten minutes that Harry knew him….

_Of course, you’re an idiot, _he seethed at himself. With a growl of frustration, he directed all the anger he’d been in within the past day and a half and shoved himself away. The teen looked genuinely surprised.

“I know what you’re doing, but I’m not falling for it,” Harry snarled. He grabbed his broken glasses from the ground.

“What are you talking about,” the teen asked. “I—“

“I deal with your kind at school all the time. I’m not falling for it.”

“W, wait!”

He stormed back into the hotel room, found an overstuffed chair in a corner and sat down. Examining the twisted frame of his glasses, one of them had definitely stepped on it. Worse, he couldn’t fix them, because he was still underage, which meant having one of his parents do it, both of which he was still pissed at. Had the older teen been of age? He said he could fix them, but the thought of going back to him and asking for anything made his rage surface again. Of course someone like him wouldn’t be attracted to someone as plain-looking with normal grades as Harry. Not that the teen had told him anything that even hinted at that line of thinking, but the way he’d been holding onto Harry….

_It was only because we fell. He freaked out, we both freaked out. That’s all that was. _Harry knew the truth though. He’d enjoyed being held and he’d liked the way the other teen looked. The other teen was even better looking than Cho. _He’s an arrogant arse and you don’t even know his name. _

Harry’s first plan was to wait for his parents to come out and meet them in the entrance hall so they could fix his glasses. After a minute or two of squinting to see if the people walking passed him were indeed his parents, he gave up and made his way to the front desk.

“May I help you?” The desk clerk looked down at Harry, eyebrow raised, and as if Harry’s very existence was somehow an extreme annoyance to him.

“…I broke my glasses and I’m underage. Can you fix them please?”

The older wizard let out an exaggerated sigh. It seemed Harry’s request was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. Something so hard, so inconvenient, that Harry must have been crazy to utter the words in the first place.

“Give them here.” He rolled his eyes, holding his hand out when the glasses were pulled from Harry’s hand again.

“He—“ Harry was shoved against the counter.

“Don’t let this arse take advantage of you. You’re better than that.”

“How dare you!” The wizard at the front desk gasped looking insulted.

The teen held Harry’s glasses between the two of them and the desk so no one else could possibly see what he was doing. He looked at the glasses without a word and then handed them back to Harry. “Sorry I broke them.”

_Who is he kidding, he didn’t even say the spell! _Harry lifted his glasses up and to his amazement, saw that they were fixed. _But how..? _He slid the glasses back on and went to ask just that, but the teen was already gone. How had he vanished so fast? He gave the room a look over, but the teen was nowhere in sight.

“Is he staying here?”

“Mr.—“

“Harry.” Harry turned, his father approaching him with what seemed to be caution. “You’ve really upset your mother.”

“Yeah, well, she’s made me upset too. I don’t want to be a healer, or anything else. I want to be an Auror.”

“I know and I’m sure she’ll come around to the idea, but you need to understand Harry. She’s not trying to stop you from becoming an Auror, because she looks down on them. She’s worried you’re going to get hurt.”

“I could get hurt as a healer,” he countered. Sometimes healers ended up in horrible places. Harry had read about the death count of over twenty healers in a single week in a highly-populated area of Dragons, not to mention if any kind of war broke out.

“Just, keep your options open. Stay on track to become an Auror, but for your mum’s sake, remember there are other job opportunities out there.” He placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Can you do that?”

“….Yeah.”

“Okay. Once we get through this, I swear the real vacation will begin.” He grinned at Harry. “You won’t know what to do first in Switzerland.”

“Are you two going to stop fighting now?”

James let out a loud laugh.

“We always fight.”

“You do?” Harry wasn’t sure he believed that, but he couldn’t deny feeling a bit better from hearing those words.

“Of course, that’s part of the fun! We fight about something, usually something dumb, at least once a week. I’ve had to sleep on the couch a few times for pranking her.”

That did sound like something his father would do. Perhaps the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d thought.

_If mum and dad fight all the time, does that mean that teen and I…? _His face burned and he shook his head trying to dislodge the thoughts. He didn’t know anything about the teen. After the awards ceremony, he’d never see him again. Draco and he would have a good laugh having found someone more arrogant than Draco pretended to be and life would go on.

“Are you still mad?” James’ sounded surprised.

“N, no. I was just thinking about someone,” he admitted. He didn’t have to tell his father who he was thinking of.

“Cho?”

“No.”

“Finally got tired of chasing her huh? Well, that just means you didn’t like her as much as you thought.” He threw an arm around Harry’s shoulders as they headed back to the inn room. “You’ll find someone who understands you, I promise. I mean, I have your mother. If _I _can find someone, you won’t have any problems at all.”

_Except I went from crushing on a girl with a boyfriend who hardly acknowledges my existence to falling for a guy who’s a complete arse and probably toying with my feelings for his own sheer amusement. _

He was hopeless. Maybe he was one of those people who wanted what they couldn’t have.

After apologizing to his mother, which resulted in a very tearful apology from her, the Potter family left for the awards ceremony. The venue was close enough for them to walk, which made Harry question the reason for them bringing the car yet again, but said nothing. For the moment, the three of them were on good terms again and he wanted to keep it that way.

The outside of the venue was a small looking business with a sign hanging across the display window reading, “Closed for Renovations”.

Even as a wizard, Harry found this ploy unbelievable. Even muggles were going to start questioning all the people walking into this small shop wearing dress robes, especially with a sign like that. No one seemed worried about it and so, Harry kept his mouth shut once again. He was beginning to think things went a lot smoother when he kept his mouth shut.

They stepped into the shop and Harry felt his mouth drop open. Inside was a huge, glamorously decorated room with a plush red carpet, giant crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, round tables positioned under each of them, except for the largest one, which hung in the center of the room and not as low as the others. Every table was covered with white table cloths, a vase with flowers in the center. Each vase held different ones. In front of the tables and chairs was a large stage with long flowing cream-colored curtains. 

“Lily!” A much older wizard that Harry recognized as another healer came over to them.

“Augustus!”

James leaned towards Harry.

“Let’s go find a table.”

Grinning Harry followed his father through the crowd. Every direction held a group of witches or wizards that Harry knew were a group beyond him, but he had his father.

James found an empty table towards the back of the room and sat down, Harry joining him.

“This is weird,” Harry said looking around the room.

“We don’t fit in here,” James said still grinning. “So many possible victims…”

“You promised mum you wouldn’t,” Harry said trying not to laugh and failing. He should have known his father would do something.

“I promised not to prank anyone, not anything,” he said. “And I intend to keep my word.”

_Maybe they do fight a lot. _

Harry had never seen so many finely dressed wizards and witches held in a single location, not even during the Yule Ball. The attendees had taken a ridiculous amount of time to get dressed up for this event.

“….brilliant, but so strange. If he wasn’t so brilliant, I’d say ditch the kid.” A witch in a silver glittering dress robes walked passed their table.

“At least we don’t have to share any of the prestige with him,” a wizard said.

_What arseholes. _

“Oh yeah, Draco’s supposed to be here.” He knew it would pointless to try to spot his friend before he even attempted. The crowd was continuously growing, all the voices becoming a loud murmurer as the people talked with one another.

“There’s Dumbledore,” James said. He waved his hand in the air. A pleasant smile appeared on Dumbledore’s face and the headmaster came their way. “Isn’t this horrible?”

“Come now, the reason these awards are being given is a wonderful thing,” Dumbledore said, but his eyes were twinkling. “Ah, by the way, my son is actually here with me tonight.” He turned as if to introduce someone and stopped. “And he seems to have slipped away.”

“He’s probably at the dessert table. Didn’t you say he’s a sweet lover,” James asked.

“I did indeed. He very much takes after me in that respect.” He took a seat next to James. “Did you enjoy that cake, Harry?”

“Yes,” Harry said. Even if it had only been a small piece, it had been good. Draco was still nowhere to be seen and Harry hoped the Slytherin would pop up soon. He wanted someone to talk to and he would need someone to back up his claim when he told Ron and Hermione he’d finally met Dumbledore’s son.

“You had cake and didn’t share any,” James asked looking horrified.

“I did share it, with Draco,” Harry said.

“Do you see what I have to deal with,” James asked Dumbledore. “My own son, withholding cake from me!”

“I wish my son was as behaved as yours if only a sliver.”

That was an odd comment for a father to make. Even James seemed unsettled by Dumbledore’s words. Hadn’t his son just helped discover some improved healing cream or something? He should be proud.

“This place is completely unprepared, look at this rubbish! Commoners sweets!”

Harry paled, his eyes widening in sync with the teen across from him. No, Dumbledore’s son was supposed to be in his thirties, or fifties, or something, but not his teens! How could such an old wizard have such a young son? An arrogant, arsehole, of a son no less! He was nothing at all like Dumbledore. Harry would have never guessed that the two of them could be related.

The sweets no longer seemed an issue. He dropped the plate onto the table.

“You.”

“Yeah, me,” Harry said. He wanted to look away but felt like if he did, he’d losing. He didn’t know exactly what he was losing, but his fighting instincts had sparked within him.

“You two know each other,” Dumbledore asked, sounding surprised. 

“….we ran into each other at the bookstore,” the teen said hesitantly. “I warned him not to buy shoddy items and he went and did it anyway.”

His eyes remained locked with Harry’s. The Gryffindor realized he was actually asking for permission to sit down.

“Y, yeah and they worked just fine,” Harry said giving a slight nod. “I wrote a very long three-page letter with no problem.”

“Then you got lucky,” he said the arrogance creeping back into his voice.

“Tom, please,” Dumbledore said sounding tired. “Do not start any fights here.”

“So I can start a fight outside of the building?” He smirked, Dumbledore letting out a long sigh.

“Eat your desserts.” The headmaster spotted something across the room and stood up. “I’ll be right back.” The headmaster stood up and left the table, leaving the three alone.

Tom picked at the many desserts on his plate, his eyes focused on them.

“Be right back Harry, your mother’s waving at me,” James said. He gave Harry a wink and set off across the room.

“Great, now we’re alone,” Tom said sulking. He picked some more at a few of the desserts on his plate then let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m—“

“Thank you, for fixing my glasses,” Harry said blurting the words out before Tom could run off. He owed the teen that much, even if he had been the one to destroy his glasses in the first place. “How did you even do that without a wand? Or saying the spell?”

“…Practice,” Tom said eyeing Harry wearily.

“I’m Harry,” he said awkwardly holding his hand out. “Harry Potter.”

“….Tom Riddle.” He took Harry’s hand and instead of shaking it, held it.

“Riddle?”

“I’m adopted.”

“Oh…” _That explains a lot. _Harry glanced down at their hands. Tom hadn’t let go of his yet and he was beginning to feel the heat creep through his body. “I…” What? Even if Tom was Dumbledore’s adopted son, that didn’t mean he wasn’t an arse. It didn’t mean he wasn’t trying to screw with Harry and his feelings. None of it convinced Harry to let go. Instead, he turned his hand over and wrapped his fingers around Tom’s.

Tom seemed just as surprised as Harry felt. Harry even noted a small blush crossing his beautiful features.

“You’re kind of cute…better without the glasses, but…” he trailed off and popped a brownie into his mouth.

_Can I really trust what he’s saying? _Harry wanted to, badly. He wanted Tom to like him, not that a relationship between them would ever form. Tom went from private tutor to private tutor learning from the best. He didn’t even stay in the same country long. Harry would return to Hogwarts come September and if he was honest, it wouldn’t matter, because they’d never see each other after the award’s ceremony let alone, because summer ended. Dumbledore had known their family Harry’s entire life, but this was the first time he’d even met Tom.

“Dumbledore’s coming,” Tom whispered pulling his hand away from Harry’s.

Harry retracted his hand. It felt cold now and he felt alone.

_He doesn’t even want Dumbledore to know we were holding hands. There’s no way anything is happening between us. _Not that Harry had expected anything, but in the darkest parts of his mind, he’d hoped. He could still fantasize about it at least. Tom couldn’t take that away, not like he had his hand. And in those fantasies, Tom could be nice and even care about Harry.

“Oh good, you haven’t harmed anyone.” Dumbledore placed a small plate, also filled with desserts, onto the table and a glass of wine.

“You always expect the worse of me,” Tom said, his attention once more focused on his desserts. He was destroying a bread pudding with a spoon.

“Where’s James,” Dumbledore asked.

“With my mum,” Harry said. He managed to find them and he jumped to his feet, his heart mimicking the movement. “I’ll be right back.” He ignored the surprised looks on the other twos’ faces and had to yell at himself not to run, but he couldn’t stay at the table. Tom’s withdrawal of his hand had hurt more than he wanted to admit and he needed to get away. “Draco, what a pleasant surprise.”

Draco turned at his words, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Harry. You should have told me you’d be attending tonight.”

They shook hands, their faces barely giving anything away.

_Manners, _he reminded himself of turning to Draco’s father. He plastered a fake smile on his face and held his hand out.

“Mister Malfoy. I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I believe the last I saw you in person was during the Christmas Holiday?”

“Indeed.” Lucius took his hand with great effort and shook it as quickly as possible. He pulled away as if he’d touched something vile. “How is your family?”

“My mother is nominated for the Superiority in the Healing Arts Award,” Harry said. The pride in his voice wasn’t faked.

“So I heard. Good luck to her then.”

“Draco, do you have time to talk about those new broomsticks you heard were being released this summer?”

“Of course,” Draco said pleasantly. “Shall we get a drink?”

“If your father doesn’t mind,” Harry asked Lucius.

“Of course not.” Lucius was gripping his cane tightly, his knuckles white.

The two teens didn’t wait. They made their way to the back table where bunches of wine glasses were filled with various drinks. Harry was glad to see they were in groups and each group had an identifying label. He procured himself a glass of Gillywater.

Draco grabbed a wineglass from another bunch labeled Bordeaux, Louis Beaussinot.

“You live in a different world than me,” Harry said.

“One glass of wine won’t hurt anyone, maybe Weasley.” He shrugged. “Where are you sitting anyway?” Harry motioned to the table where Dumbledore and Tom were sitting and Draco coughed on his drink. “There? With those two?” He sounded as horrified as Harry felt.

“There, with those two,” he said glaring at the two. “And you wouldn’t imagine the day I’ve been having thanks to the arrogant snob,” Harry said. “He broke my glasses, fixed them, and I’m pretty sure he’s trying to manipulate me to fall for him just so he can screw with me and laugh in my face.” He downed the Gillywater in a single gulp and grabbed another one.

“I’ve seen Pansy do that,” Draco said watching the two wizards. “When the guy doesn’t realize what’s going on, he’s a disaster afterwards. A few know. They just go with it for fun.”

_Of course, people like Pansy and Tom would. _

“Did you ever find out his name?”

“Yeah, it’s Tom Riddle. Dumbledore’s son,” Harry said making sure to coat each word with venom.

Draco managed to swallow his drink this time, but Harry could see it’d taken a lot of energy.

“Well.”

“I can’t wait to leave,” Harry muttered. He finished off the second glass, decided he no longer cared if his parents were around and grabbed the glass marked Louis Beaussinot. He sniffed it a few times before taking a small sip. It wasn’t bad, sort of dry and to his dismay, nothing like the Fire Whiskey Sirius had allowed him a taste of over the last Christmas Holiday. What was the point in even drinking something like this?

“Me either,” Draco said. “Half of the people here are only in it for the networking. The actual healers are over there,” Draco said pointing to a small group of maybe twenty healers, Harry’s mother among them. “The rest of these people just help run the hospitals or they helped fund things.”

“Funding isn’t always a bad thing,” Harry said taking another sip of the wine. Still dry. “Without the funding, some cures would have never been found.”

“Yeah, but it’s still a slap to the healer who finds the cure only to have to name it after the funder.”

“…Honestly, most of the healers I’ve met don’t care. They’re just glad a cure was found.”

“Really,” Draco asked raising an eyebrow. “I’d be furious.”

Harry would be too, at least name the cure after both the healer and funder or a name the two could agree upon. “At least people are being helped in the end.”

“Always looking on the bright side, aren’t you Potter?”

“Trying to keep myself from cursing someone,” Harry corrected Draco. If any more bad crept into his life right now, he was going to snap. So what if the people funding some of the healing researches going on were doing it for personal gains? It still saved someone in the long run. “Maybe they should be punished for saving arseholes though.” Tom had just gotten up from the table and was walking back towards the dessert table. He watched him, making sure the teen did nothing weird. There was no telling with Tom’s type. “What pisses Pansy off more? When someone knows they’re being screwed with right away and turns her down, or when she tells them and then finds out they knew all along?”

“First one,” Draco said immediately. “Her ego takes a huge hit when someone she thinks is below her turns her down.” He looked at Harry. “Has he asked you out?”

“No,” Harry said, perhaps a bit too fast. “No,” he repeated, calmly. He hadn’t and probably wouldn’t. All Harry had to do was survive the Healers Awards and he’d be free. Switzerland was his reward for not hexing Tom or his parents at this point. He was still hoping Sirius would take pity on him and come save him for a few weeks.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“You can be pretty dense when it comes to people hitting on you.”

“I’m not dense, I just know the only reason a lot of girls ask me out now is, because I’m on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I’m not stupid.”

Their conversation shifted to school then and how stupid a lot of the students were. Harry defended a few, but the majority of Draco’s list was spot on, especially Crabbe and Goyle. When they’d exhausted that route they spoke about their plans for the summer holiday asking Draco what did one do in Switzerland for fun.

“I’ve been asked to retrieve you,” Tom said coming towards the two students. “They’re going to start soon and your parents want you back at the table.” Harry couldn’t see any hints of the emotions that had crossed the teen earlier that day. He looked bored, a bit annoyed at having to track Harry down.

“I should head back to my family then,” Draco said looking torn. He leaned into Harry. “Don’t kill him.”

Harry smiled doing his best to hold back a laugh and nodded. Something flashed across Tom’s eyes. It wasn’t a happy emotion. Harry was all too glad for it and made a mental note to get Draco a souvenir from Switzerland. 

He started back to the table, Tom walking beside him. They were almost to the table when Tom let out a frustrated sigh.

“Are you two a couple?”

Harry nearly walked into a chair a witch had just pushed out. He took a step back, apologizing, the witch doing the same and started around the table.

“Does it matter?”

“Not really, I’ve broken up my fair share of relationships, most of which weren’t intended.”

_The confidence this guy has is sickening. _

“No, we’re not,” Harry said. He wanted to say yes and Draco would have understood and gone along with it if he did, but he didn’t want to drag Draco into this. On some level, Harry understood that Tom was dangerous. He wasn’t sure how he knew, maybe Dumbledore’s comments, but he didn’t want to risk Draco’s wellbeing just to annoy some guy he’d never see again after the awards ceremony ended.

“You act like it.”

“We’re friends,” Harry said turning on the teen. “The only friend I have in this entire town. I’ve —“ He stopped himself. Tom was listening intently and Harry really wanted to get all his frustration out, but telling Tom would probably only lead to more problems. Tom would use whatever he said against him, that’s just how those kinds of people were. “It’s not important.” No, he would wait for Sirius and tell him, even though he’d told his godfather everything in his letter. He would repeat all the problems he’d mentioned, add all the new ones Tom had given him since the letter, and Sirius would tell him it was okay. That people like Tom were just arseholes, sometimes parents were too, and that was okay. Things would get better.

The words made him smile. Sirius was always telling him that things would get better and usually, his godfather was right. So what if he’d been forgotten by his own parents and gotten into a fight with them, had been tossed into Tom’s line of fire? The awards ceremony was also being held in Draco’s hometown and he’d had at least one friend to talk with during the chaos. He could handle a few more hours until he got to Switzerland.

_Just pretend you’re talking to Ron…_ Which was impossible. Ron was a complete idiot compared to Tom. Maybe talking with Draco? Draco wasn’t the smartest person, but really, what was Tom more than a steroid-induced Draco and Hermione?

“He’s all yours if you want him, but I’ll warn you. He’s a bit of an arsehole.”

“I haven’t even spoken with him,” Tom said.

“Well, compared to your arrogance, you’d probably think he’s nice.” He could see the table, his parents, Dumbledore. The adults were talking happily and all of them had cake. Tom grabbed Harry by the shoulder and turned him.

“I don’t care about your _friend,_” Tom said narrowing his eyes. “I have no interest in him.”

“Okay.” Harry shrugged. “You were the one asking if we were dating.”

“I wanted to know if you were single,” Tom said. He scowled at a few witches who looked at them and ushered Harry to the dessert table. “I’m interested in you.”

How Harry wished he could believe that. He would allow himself to think so in the safety of his own dreams, but reality was never that nice. He couldn’t trust this teen anymore than he could trust Draco not to harm Ron or Hermione when they were at school or even trust that his parents’ fighting was really over. What made it worse is, he could use someone he could talk to freely, but Tom wouldn’t be there for him once this ceremony ended. He wouldn’t be around at school or even the holidays. This run-in had happened by complete chance.

“Tom…” There wasn’t any good way to put this. _Wait, if I’m not going to see him after the awards ceremony anyway…_It was a devious plan, but it would keep things from getting out of hand. A fight right before his mother received a prestigious award would be wrong. “We don’t actually know each other…I’m not going to deny I think you’re hot, but shouldn’t we get to know each other first?”

Tom seemed to consider this.

“You’re right; I suppose I’m taking this too fast.” His face was turning red and he laughed. “I’ve never actually fallen for someone that way I have with you.”

Harry found that hard to believe. How many times had Tom used that pickup line? Hundreds? Possibly thousands? A new lover in every country, hell maybe even every town he went to?

_Just play along. _Easier said than done, but this entire thing would be over within the next two hours tops. Then he could write Sirius another novel of a letter telling him all the stupid stuff he’d had to deal with.

“So…I heard you helped work on a cure…”

“I want to know about you,” Tom said waving Harry’s words off. “Everyone knows what I do.” He took Harry’s hand in his own, the Gryffindor blushing horribly.

“Th, there’s nothing to know….” He tried to keep his stuttering to a minimum. “I’m just me.” _Just be honest, he’ll get bored. _“I think the only thing that stands out is I’m on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and I’m considered a great Seeker.”

“You actually enjoy that game,” Tom asked with a laugh. “Why?”

“Because it’s fun, and freeing,” Harry said through gritted teeth. “I like flying.”

“I guess,” Tom said. He already seemed to be getting bored. At least it wouldn’t take long to drive him away. “What’s your favorite subject?”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Harry said. “It’s probably my best class. I’m not too great with the other ones.”

“Why not? All you have to do is study.” He seemed surprised at Harry.

Harry gaped at him. If only it were that easy, then no one would have to even attend school. Just study, you’ll somehow remember everything and be able to do everything.

“I don’t remember things that well,” he said. He gave a small shrug when Tom sighed. “See. You know a bit more about me and you’re already bored.”

“I’m not exactly bored. I just can’t believe I fell for a fool.”

“I’m not a fool,” Harry snapped. “I just think there are more important things out there than studying all the time!”

“Like getting your head bashed in with a high speeding ball,” Tom asked laughing.

Harry felt his cheeks burn more.

“You’re an arse.” He tried to pull his hand away and failed. “Let go.”

“You’re going to need thicker skin if my comments have angered you that much.” He pulled Harry forward until their bodies were touching. “Don’t worry, I promise you’ll get used to it.”

All Harry could do was stare. He’d been so sure telling Tom he was nothing special would end this stupid charade. Tom could tell Harry right away that he was simply not dating material, not for someone like him, and they would go their separate ways.

“Or you could go find someone smarter and leave me out of this,” Harry offered.

Tom tilted his head.

“Why would I do that? I can tutor you and that fixes the problem, doesn’t it?”

Harry’s world froze.

_Tutor me? _

“It’ll be fun. I’ll have you mastering every class you’re signed up for. Then you can leave early and join me traveling for a while.”

“Y, you’re going way too fast again,” Harry managed to get out.

“Right,” Tom chuckled. “You want to take this slow. Well, as long as you’re mine then the pace doesn’t matter. We have all the time in the world.” He started for the table, Harry following dumbly behind him.

_What in the hell just happened? _

No, this wasn't how Tom was supposed to react. He was supposed to get bored and angry. He was supposed to think Harry was pointless to go after, to ignore him for the rest of his life, not tutor him!!

"W, wait! Aren't you leaving after this?" He was grasping at straws now as he stumbled after Tom. Dumbledore's son _never _stayed in one place long unless he was doing research or studying under someone. 

"No, I talked it over with Dumbledore. I'm taking the next few months off for a vacation."

Harry could feel all the color drain from his face. 

"But...my family and I are going to Switzerland after the ceremony is over," he said weakly. 

"Really? I love Switzerland." He seemed genuinely pleased. 

Harry felt himself blushing again. 

_Ugh, why am I happy? _Of course, he already knew why he was happy. He wanted Tom to be pleased with him, even if his initial plan had been to make the older teen dislike him. No matter what he said or thought, he wanted to be with him. He wanted this to be real. 

"Yeah?" It was all he could think of to say.

"They have amazing chocolate shops there."

_Chocolate shops….? _Was any of this real? Harry must have fallen asleep at some point. The wine! That had to be it. The little bit of wine he'd consumed had turned his reality upside down. Weird since he'd managed just fine after downing a Fire Whiskey. 

"I see you managed to bring Harry back to us unharmed," Dumbledore said pleasantly. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw they were holding hands.

"Harry and I talked and I want to see him. I'll be using my vacation time to tutor him for now." He sat down, pulling Harry gently into the seat beside him. 

"Really?!" Lily looked both surprised and pleased.

_Maybe they'll stop fighting if I at least study. _Besides this was a good opportunity. Even if Tom was mad, he was considered a genius. If Harry had managed to fail any of his classes, a summer of tutoring with Tom would give him the knowledge he needed to retake and pass any O.W.L.S. It might also be nice to understand half of what came out of Hermione's mouth anymore. She often went on long tangents about something they'd just learned or something she'd read and he and Ron were left staring at her, mouths hanging open as they tried to make some sense of what she was so animatedly going on about. 

"Well, I was a little unsure about some of the questions on my O.W.L.S. If I need to retake any, I'll be prepared," Harry said.

"You really think you flunked an O.W.L. level test," Tom asked snorting. "You really do need my help." He leaned in towards Harry. "Be glad I'm willing to give you that help," he whispered.

Once again, Harry felt his face burning from embarrassment, anger, and if he was honest with himself, because he liked it. 

"Are you sure that's such a good idea," Dumbledore asked.

"We could pay him," Lily said quickly. 

"It's fine," Tom said glaring at his stepfather. 

"It wasn't fine the last time you were asked to tutor someone."

"I _want _to tutor him." 

They stared each other down. Neither one of them looked like they were going to stop. Dumbledore opened his mouth and the candles went out.

_What?_

Hundreds of pin-sized floating lights came to life all at once. The lights rushed together in one direction towards the stage. They collided together creating a massive globe of light behind a wizard standing on the stage. Some of the small lights spilled out to the side giving the illusion of a fountain of sparks raining out. 

"Witches, Wizards, and most importantly, Healers!!! Welcome to this year's F.A.I.R.Y.!" His words were met with loud cheers from the crowd. "For any of you who've been missing from society for oh, the last 800 years!" He grinned, some of the crowd laughing. "That would make this the Fantastical and Ingenious Remedies Yearly!"

**(TBC)**

Enjoy


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for the support of this story. It makes me very happy to see so many people enjoying my friend’s birthday gift and I won’t lie, just something I’ve written in general.  
Warnings: It’s shonen ai, yaoi, slash, Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle  
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump  
Thank you for all the reviews and kudos. They mean a great deal and keep me energized. (I know, I'm pathetic lol )

The entire room filled with applause. "Now, I know all of you are quite excited about this year's awards. There were so many exciting breakthroughs, discoveries, and an overwhelming amount of helpful healers this year!! There's no telling who will win an award!!!" He threw his hands into the air, the crowd screaming.

_What is this, a concert? _Harry knew the awards were important to a lot of people, but to think that these healers spent their entire year working hard to possibly obtain some recognition was just sad. His father was always acknowledged for his work as an Auror, regardless if he just helped someone out or caught a relatively bad wizard. Healers helped people every day and deserved to be recognized for that. 

"What's wrong," Tom had leaned in towards Harry, his mouth close to Harry's ear. 

Harry gave a quick look around. His parents and Dumbledore were leaning forward in their seats, eyes glued to the stage. Harry was sure they wouldn't notice if he kicked the table over on top of them and set it on fire. 

"This is kind of pathetic, isn't it?"

Tom smirked.

"Whatever do you mean? Healers deserve some sort of recognition, don't they,” he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but this? This is a joke. They should be getting recognition every day from the people they help, not once a year in some kind of flashy extravaganza."

"I do believe you may be smarter than I was giving you credit for."

Harry scowled, both annoyed and pleased at Tom’s words. He didn’t want his approval and yet, he craved it more than anything right now. How was it so easy to fall into Tom’s traps?

“Why are you such a git?”

“I only seem that way, because my intelligence far exceeds most of the people in this room. In truth, I’m merely being rational—“

“Says the guy who decides he wants to date me after a single run in at a bookstore.”

A blush crossed Tom’s features and vanished just as quick.

“I had not planned that, but…” He gave a small shrug. “What can I say? The way you acted was adorable. And imagine my delight when I followed you out of the bookstore and saw we were staying at the same inn.”

_He stalked me!? _Was it really stalking if the person in question had to return to the same building as you? But, Tom said he’d followed Harry. Again, all Harry could do was stare. What kind of creature was sitting next to him? His struggle to not jump Tom at the bookstore had come off as adorable? Draco and he had been followed, unknowingly, back to the inn? Had he listened to their conversation? Not the beginning of it, there was no way. Tom had still been in the bookstore. But, what about the rest of it?

“Our first award will be presented to the best breakthrough in healing advancements!”

“You seem bothered.”

“I…don’t know.” It was too much. Not just now, but his entire summer holiday that was just barely passed the twenty-four-hour mark. To think yesterday morning he’d been on the Hogwart’s Express talking with his friends, none the wiser to all the crazy things he’d be enduring as soon as he got off.

_I shouldn’t have left the school. _Or he could have tried walking home. Sure he would have gotten lost, he might not have even made it home at all, that probably would have been for the best. He could have wandered the streets of London until he stumbled into Diagon Alley. There, he could have wrote Sirius and been spared for whatever it was that he was currently dealing with it. Hermione would have called it a situation, but situations ended. His seemed to keep going and getting worse as it did.

“And the award goes to, TOM RIDDLE!”

Tom let out a sigh.

“I told them I didn’t want the reward. I’ll be right back.” He stood up, looking like he had to tolerate some awful task, and strode towards the stage while the hundreds, maybe it was thousands now, of witches and wizards cheered. He moved through the chairs and tables, Harry watching his every move.

_He was in town to receive an award, _he thought blinking. It wasn’t the highest prestige award to be offered at F.A.I.R.Y., but still a reward none the less. He was glad he hadn’t tried to use his mother’s own win to put Tom in his place. He would have looked like an idiot.

“Is that healing ointment that important,” Harry asked Dumbledore. The headmaster was clapping and cheering louder than anyone around them.

“This award wasn’t for the healing ointment,” Dumbledore said, a large smile on his face. “It was for a cure for the Wizarding flu.”

_A cure…? _Tom was maybe a year older than he was and he was creating cures for magical diseases?

“Within the end of the year, Wizarding flu will be completely eradicated,” Dumbledore said proudly.

Harry stared at the headmaster dumbfounded. This arsehole really was a genius. Tom stood on the stage, the people around them clapping. He looked bored, maybe even annoyed. The wizard announcing names shoved a large trophy, a gold wand and potion bottle crisscrossing ontop a black square pedestal, into Tom’s hands.

Tom must have said some words, Harry was sure, but he couldn’t remember them. What he did remember was the large smile that graced Tom’s features. The witches and wizards around him whispering in delight, their voices almost giddy as they spoke of how wonderful Tom was for his contributions. How wonderful it was that there was a cure for the Wizarding flu. How amazing Tom must be. Harry agreed with them. Tom was amazing. So why was someone so brilliant wasting his time on someone like Harry?

Tom returned to the table, trophy in hand. He tossed it to Dumbledore like it was something unworthy of him before sitting back down.

“Be careful with that,” Dumbledore said.

“Why?”

“It’s an honor to receive such an award,” Dumbledore said glaring at his adopted son. “You worked hard on that cure.”

“No, I didn’t,” Tom said his voice flat. “I read the research from a good ten other healers that knew what they were doing and compiled them. The cure was already found; it just needed to be put together.”

“And you were the only one capable of putting it together,” Dumbledore said.

Tom rolled his eyes and grabbed Harry’s hand. The Gryffindor shot up in his seat, Tom laughing.

“Did my amazing speech and good looks up there hypnotize you?” His eyes scanned Harry, his smile growing as he did.

_I didn’t hear a word you said, _Harry thought deciding he shouldn’t admit to that. After all the rewards were handed out, the ceremony would be over. That’s all he needed to get through. This night, whether it was some half dream or half nightmare would end and he could try to enjoy the rest of his summer holiday.

He watched other healers parade onto the stage, but he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what any of them looked like or what they’d said. Tom’s attention kept shifting from the announcer to Harry. Harry heard his mother’s name called out and heard Tom say congratulations. He clapped and tried hard to listen to his mother’s speech, but his mind just would not focus. Just hearing that Tom had managed to find a cure had somehow broken his brain and he didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like he’d ever believed Tom and him were equals or had anything in common once he’d found out who he was. Yet somehow seeing Tom receive an award during F.A.I.R.Y. destroyed what little hope he had had about any kind of relationship between them. Harry was not smart enough. Hermione probably wasn’t smart enough.

“Are you okay?” Harry turned. Tom was looking at him with what looked like genuine concern. “You haven’t said a word since the ceremony started.”

“Yeah…Sorry.” He was sorry he’d ever seen Tom. That for some reason Tom thought they’d make a good couple. He would never be able to understand the way Tom thought or how he did the amazing things he did. Tom was destined for far greater things and people. The realization that they weren’t just slightly different, but in completely different dimensions hurt. The sooner he could get away, the sooner he could begin healing. With any luck, he’d completely forget about Tom during his stay in Switzerland.

Tom lifted Harry’s hand and kissed it, Harry’s face flushing.

“If something’s wrong, tell me.”

“It’s nothing; I’m just not a fan of gatherings like this.” Not really a lie. He despised gatherings like this. A quick look at his father told him he was not alone. His dad was rapping his fingers on the table in fast repetition. The chances that the table under the cloth was damaged was high. His mother had found out fast enough that the Potter men were not proper gentlemen and taking them to social gatherings that required any sort of manners beyond the norm was pushing it. She had given in quite fast, and now only took them to events she considered of utmost importance. Harry definitely believed this to be one of those times, but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy it. Especially not when his mental state was a complete mess.

“Your mother’s already accepted her award, why don’t we go outside for some air?”

The sentence tore at Harry in ways he’d never expected. He wanted an excuse to bolt from the stuffy atmosphere, the looks he sometimes noticed from complete strangers, despite behaving. The ones that told him he didn’t belong and never would. But, the escape came at the cost of having to endure alone time with Tom outside. Something he would have gladly accepted if he thought they’d actually remain together once this ceremony ended.

He frowned, his hand tightening around Tom’s own. It was stupid. He hardly knew Tom, beyond all the facts that he’d learned that evening, which was only enough to tell him that Tom was out of his league. He didn’t want them to part ways and yet he did. None of it made any sense. If he had a choice, he’d get a time turner and stop all of this from happening. He’d go back far enough to yell at himself to study for his O.W.L.S. harder and then, fight or no fight with his parents, lock himself in the bedroom at the inn. Then he would only meet Tom in passing at the awards ceremony and there would be no illusion of a relationship between them.

Harry looked up vacantly when he felt a tug on his arm. He shook his head trying to guess how long he’d been obsessing over his thoughts. Long enough it seemed, because all the candles in the room had relit and people were chatting again, others leaving. F.A.I.R.Y was over. His father was on one side of him looking at him with worry, Tom on the other.

“You okay,” James asked. “I know you’re not a fan of these get-togethers. Why don’t we get some ice cream?”

Right, because ice cream would fix everything. The frozen treat would somehow wash away all memories of him being in Wiltshire.

“Not tonight.” He stood up, his father looking alarmed now.

“No ice cream?”

Harry closed his eyes. His father probably wanted ice cream more than he did. Maybe the dessert would make him feel better. A small dose of sugar ingested away from the awards ceremony might make things seem a little better. Perhaps he was taking everything too seriously anyway. Tom only seemed like such a big deal to him, because he’d actually shown some interest in Harry. He didn’t know if it was real or not, but it had nothing to do with him being a Quidditch player at school. He wasn’t obsessed with Tom, he just liked the idea that someone wanted to date him. There would be others. Maybe when he went back to school he would try dating one of the girls who only started talking to him once he became a star Quidditch player. After a few dates, it might actually lead to a real relationship. 

“You’re right, I probably could use some ice cream.”

His father’s eyes brightened, the concern vanishing from his face.

“Perfect! I’ll go tell your mother!” He vanished into a group of people leaving Harry alone with Tom.

“….Your father is rather immature,” Tom said shaking his head. “Not that I’m one to talk. I tend to leave any sanity I have behind where puddings are concerned.”

Harry looked at Tom, really looked at him. He wanted to make sure the teen’s image would forever be in his mind so he could freely daydream, at least until he went back to school and acquired an actual girlfriend. He doubted anyone on earth had the same chiseled cheekbones or alluring red eyes. His eyelashes were long, beautiful, just like his thick black hair.

_STOP IT! _He’d managed to get his entire body temperature to skyrocket in a matter of seconds.

“He can be,” Harry agreed trying to get his emotions under control. “He likes pranking people and when he gets with Sirius and Remus, it can get real bad.” He laughed despite everything else running through his mind. Sirius and James were horrible when left alone and often did their best to include Harry in whatever mischief they were getting themselves into. If Remus was present he sometimes stopped them, but more often Sirius managed to convince his lover to join in and well, that was that. When they had Remus’ brains helping them, the world was at their mercy.

“I feel like I’ve heard the name Sirius before,” Tom said.

“Probably, he’s from the Black family. They’re an old wizarding family and like to think they’re better than everyone else. Sirius is great, he’s my godfather. His brother was a git at first, but he came around after he moved out of his parent’s house. At least that’s what Sirius said. I’ve only met him once.” The one time he’d met Regulus had been at a gathering at Sirius’ house. The man said maybe twenty words the entire time and spent most of it sitting in a chair alone in Sirius’ kitchen. The only words he’d said to Harry was “hello.”

Tom nodded.

“I’ve heard of the Black family. They’ve contributed to quite a few…choice causes,” he said taking obvious care of his word choice.

“Sirius won’t have anything to do with his parents. He works as an Auror with my dad. He moved out when he was still in school into my dad and grandparent’s house. He moved out because Remus refused to stay the night at dad’s house.” Harry hadn’t been born during that time, but he’d heard plenty of jokes that referenced those times. Sirius had told him the whole story anyway years ago when Harry asked how Sirius had ever gotten Remus to agree to live with him. The story had lasted well into the night, Sirius not wanting to skip a single detail.

“You really care about them,” Tom said, his voice quiet now.

“Yeah, they’re my family,” Harry said surprised.

“How long until you’ll talk about me that way?”

Harry felt a jolt surge through his body.

“Wh, what?”

“You speak of Sirius and this Remus with a smile on your face, with warmth in your voice. You’re smiling. All I’ve seen you do the last two days is get angry and yell at people.”

“Well yeah, I’ve been having a bad start to my summer holiday,” Harry said. He’d been hit with one problem after another the second he stepped off the Hogwart’s Express. No one could expect him to be in a good mood after all of that.

“Want to talk about it,” Tom asked tilting his head.

Harry did want to talk about it, but doing so with Tom seemed pointless. He might have insight Harry would never have, but Tom was going to be out of his life in a good five minutes once his father returned. And whether or not Tom thought they were somehow a couple after knowing each other for a day and a half, really only a few hours, he was in all reality, a stranger. A handsome stranger, but a stranger nonetheless.

“It’s okay. I’m sure things will look up once I get to Switzerland.”

“The quality of their chocolate is amazing,” Tom said smiling. “You won’t know what to try first.”

“Alright, Harry. I had to swear an oath we would not ruin our dress robes, but we are free to run,” James said brightly walking towards them.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you then,” Harry said wondering if he should hold his hand out to Tom and shake it or what. “I don’t know how long we’ll be in Switzerland and I don’t have an owl with me. So if you want I could send an owl when I arrive at the hotel.”

Tom raised an eyebrow at that.

“Why?”

Harry winced at that.

_So much for being subtle. _

“R, right. Um, I’ll…tell Dumbledore I said congratulations than the next time I read about you in the Daily Prophet?”

Tom’s arms came up and he folded them across his chest, his eyes narrowing, left foot tapping. Harry had the eerie feeling he was seeing his mother in a male form that was three times as dangerous.

“So that’s it? You’re just going to leave—“

“I told you I was going to Switzerland,” Harry said. It took all of his courage not to take a step back. Tom looked like he was going to murder every person still inside the building. A second later the storm passed, his eyes widening.

“Oh, Oh! You thought,” he laughed the energy he’d been building in his body relaxing. He threw his arms around Harry and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m going with you to Switzerland. There’s no way I could tutor you through owls and as you pointed out, you have no idea how long you’ll be gone. Besides,” he pulled back grinning at Harry. “I could never pass up a chance to visit Switzerland.” He draped an arm around Harry’s shoulder and pulled the Gryffindor’s frozen body towards him. “In fact, while you were in your little dream world, your mother told me what hotel you were staying at. Dumbledore’s sending my reservation now.”

_Going…with…? _Harry’s mind could not process beyond that point. The words simply repeated in his head.

“About that,” James said uneasily. “We actually have one more stop to make before we go to Switzerland.” He coughed and kicked the floor lightly with his foot. If past actions were of any indication, this was not a good sign.

“Huh?” The tone of his father’s voice had brought him somewhat back to his senses.

“Not another gathering,” Harry said.

“No, not really. Just a few people,” James said walking towards the exit.

Harry went after his father, Tom following.

_I guess he’s going with to get ice cream too, _Harry thought. They were outside and going down the sidewalk before Harry managed to catch up with his father.

“Is it Sirius and Remus,” Harry asked hopefully.

“How I wish it was,” James said darkly and Harry’s heart fell. He had really wanted to see his godfather and Remus before he went back to school. “Maybe we can get them to meet us in Switzerland or we can have a barbeque when we get back.”

“So where are we going,” Harry pressed.

“Little Whinging,” James said as quietly as he could. Harry still heard those most dreadful words.

“WHAT!?”

Tom actually jumped at Harry’s words.

“What’s so bad about Little Whinging,” he asked.

“It’s not Little Whinging, it’s who lives there,” Harry groaned. “Why? Didn’t we suffer enough at the awards ceremony? Didn’t they say they never wanted to see us again, or any of our kind, for the rest of their lives, even if it meant certain death for them?” So, that’s why they’d brought the car. His mother had known they’d have no choice, but to drive into Little Whinging or risk questions coming up for her _dear _sister and her family when they arrived without a vehicle. How could his mother do this to them? Didn’t she love them? Care about them even a tiny bit? Didn’t she at least like them? What had he done to deserve such consistent bad luck?

“Well, your mother wants to attempt to forge a truce,” James said. Every word seemed to be a struggle for him to get out.

“Couldn’t she just go alone and meet us in Switzerland?”

“Harry, it wouldn’t be fair to leave your mother to fend for herself,” James said, a small smile on his lips.

“It’s _her _family,” Harry said stressing the word her. “Aunt Petunia was quite clear I was no nephew of hers and that she would never consider you a relative in any sense.”

James thought about that and grinned.

“Probably lucky there,” he said laughing. “Come on, it won’t be too bad. Your mother wants us to behave, which means we can’t actually do anything, but the threat is still there.”

“Care to fill me in,” Tom asked when Harry had been reduced to a walking blank statue. It just wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

“Family, mum’s family. They’re a bunch of snobbish Muggles. They hate everything to do with magic or anything odd. They tolerate mum because she’s aunt Petunia’s sister, but they pretend dad and I don’t exist.”

“On good days,” James said happily. “They acknowledge us on the bad ones.”

Harry gave a small grunt in agreement. When they acknowledged Harry and his father, it was usually to throw some horrible snide remark their way. Again, that was during mutual times. At their worst, casual meetings turned out into huge fights, often with aunt Petunia screaming, his mother crying, and his uncle and father yelling at each other that each other’s family was to blame for the fight. Then there was Dudley, his whale-sized older cousin who, from what he’d gathered, was the town bully. He was one of the reasons Sirius had taught Harry how to defend himself a little physically, because as much as he wanted to, Harry had promised his mother he would never hurt her family with magic. There was also that pesky little law about Muggles and magic and underage usage that actually kept his promise enforced.

“I thought you’d take it better over ice cream. We’re heading over there tomorrow.”

“Is there anywhere else we’re going before Switzerland,” Harry asked, his teeth gritted. He knew he should have just stayed with Ron or better yet, he should have gone to Sirius’ house from Ron’s. If his parents couldn’t bother to remember to pick him up from the train station or have someone else do it, they didn’t deserve his presence either.

“No, think of it as eating your vegetables to get to your pudding.”

Harry wanted to say he liked vegetables, or most of them anyway, and the Dursleys were no vegetables, but didn’t. It wouldn’t do him any good. He would be dragged to Little Whinging whether he wanted to or not, kicking and screaming, or sulking in the back of the car. He wished he were of age already. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with these kinds of things. He could tell his parents no and just not go. He could meet them in Switzerland after they dealt with his mother’s family.

“It’s just a few hours, I promise,” James said eyeing his son. “Even I have my limits and I told your mother, one dinner.”

“At a restaurant,” Harry asked, pleaded. His mother’s family was of the “proper” type and wouldn’t dream of causing a scene inside of a restaurant. They would scowl, give disapproving looks, and manage quiet snorts of disgust because just seeing Harry and James during dinner was far more revolting than having cockroaches and maggots running or wiggling across the table and silverware.

The one time they’d tried to eat at his aunt and uncle’s home had been a disaster. His father had made a comment about putting away a wizard who’d been tormenting some Muggles only for his uncle Vernon to say something along the lines like “aren’t all wizards like that?” James had immediately defended his magical community and a war between the two men had started followed close by the two women. Harry had been delighted that after it was over, he didn’t see that part of the family for over a year.

“Harry, even I wouldn’t have agreed to go if it wasn’t at a restaurant,” James said.

“Okay…”

They found the ice cream shop soon after that. James paid for all three of them to have two scoops each on waffle cones, which Tom thanked James a little too much for.

“Let’s find a seat,” James said. Finding one was not hard. The small shop was empty save a few couples and a family of three sitting in the back. They sat down in a booth next to the large windows looking out onto the street, Tom and Harry on one side, James on the other

“So, I guess I should get right down to it. You have a crush on my son,” James asked raising an eyebrow at Tom.

Harry crossed his arms and dropped his head onto the table, a loud thud reverberating through the shop. He was sure people were looking at him, but that was the last thing he cared about.

“I do,” Tom said unphased. “Is that a problem?”

“No, I’m just curious. I am his father and you two just met today. Just seems a little sudden.” Harry mentally groaned. He allowed one eye to look up at his father from over his crossed arms. James looked like he was having the time of his life and Harry wanted to kick him for it.

“So he’s told me,” Tom said leaning back in the booth. “I’m not interested in wasting time. He caught my interest and so far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”

_Sure, talk about me like I’m not here, _Harry thought bitterly. _And pleasantly surprised about what? _He felt something cold and sticky drip down his hand and sat up frowning. His ice cream had started to melt.

“He’s a unique one, that’s for sure, probably my fault,” James said. “Good luck.”

“I’m not that bad,” Harry said glaring at his father. He grabbed a napkin, wiped off the melted ice cream from his hand, and grabbed another one to wrap around his cone. Who was his father to talk about being difficult or unique? His father was a nightmare to deal with when he was in his prank mode or left alone too long with Sirius. Harry didn’t lose his mind when he was with Ron or Hermione.

“Of course not, you’ve been nothing, but a wonderful treat this whole holiday so far.” He winked at Tom, Harry growling.

“And whose fault is that? You forgot me at the train station,” Harry shouted. “I waited over an hour for you guys to come and get me, you didn’t even bother to send word to the Weasley family to take me home! We thought something horrible had happened to you!”

The grin slipped off James’ face, for once he looked serious.

“Harry, I had no idea you were that worried about us.” He patted Harry on the arm gently. “You should have said something.”

“Why? You two were fine,” he muttered. “I was worried for nothing.”

“You left him at the train station,” Tom asked looking from Harry to James.

“We did apologize,” James said. “His mother and I got caught up in the excitement of her winning the Superiority in the Healing Arts Award. She’d been nominated a few years ago but didn’t win and she didn’t even know she was nominated this year.”

Tom shook his head, his arm going around Harry’s waist.

“You still don’t forget your only son, because of an award. You should have been thinking about him more than ever and sharing the news with him,” Tom said.

“I guess,” James sighed. “We went straight from surprised to panic, because we’d packed for Switzerland, but not an awards ceremony.” He seemed to hesitate after that and decided not to go on. “It was a stupid thing for us to let happen.”

“Yes, it was,” Tom said before Harry could utter a word. “See to it that it doesn’t happen again.”

“Of course sir,” James said starting to laugh again.

Harry noted the dark look in Tom’s eyes. He did not seem to be joking. A warmth Harry had felt before from both his parents and Sirius when he was younger swept over him. He couldn’t quite explain it, trust, hope, the expectation of being protected, and a hint of jealousy. Even though he knew this entire supposed relationship would not last, he wanted this protection. He wasn’t stupid though. He knew it was his job to provide someone else with protection. Still, whoever ended up with Tom, as their forever partner would be lucky.

“I’ll let you two kids have your fun. Maybe you can actually get to know each other. Harry, be back before we leave in the morning.” He laughed again sliding out from the booth. “I can’t wait to tell Sirius how much he’s rubbed off on you.” James left with that, Harry glaring in his father’s direction.

“So, your horrible summer holiday started with you being forgotten at a train station,” Tom said after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah,” Harry agreed. No point in denying it.

“How did you get home?”

“My friend’s mum took pity on me,” Harry said. He licked some of his ice cream, butter pecan. It didn’t make his bitter feelings ease up.

“So you were forgotten at a train station, forced to go home with a friend, managed to get home from there?”

Harry nodded.

“Where you were assaulted with the news you would be going to an awards ceremony, which you hate.”

“Yes.”

“And now you find out you have to endure a visit with family members whom you despise, and the feeling is mutual on their side?”

“That sounds about right.” Tom had conveniently not mentioned that he’d intruded into Harry’s life, caused him enough grief to last him a year or more, had broken his glasses, and had destroyed what was left of his mental state in a matter of hours, but he was sure visiting his aunt and uncle would be far worse. Tom at least thought he liked Harry.

He sighed and decided to abuse his situation by dropping his head onto Tom’s shoulder.

“I would have cursed Dumbledore if he’d forgotten about me.”

“I believe it,” Harry said remembering Dumbledore’s words at the tavern.

“Well, even if your parents are foolish enough to forget you, I will not.” Tom moved slow, Harry lifting his head up, and climbed out of the booth. He held his hand out to the Gryffindor and helped him out of the booth.

“Hmph.” Harry had wanted to stay leaning on Tom. _I guess he’s only okay with small amounts of touching. _He wasn’t sure if it was him or if Tom just wasn’t a touchy person. He remembered how shocked Tom had been when he’d fallen on him, how he’d taken his hand away when Dumbledore had approached them at the awards ceremony. Perhaps he just didn’t approve of public affection? _Stop it; I know perfectly well, why he pulled away. _There would be no protection, no one watching his back. Tom was a superb actor and while Harry had been fooled, no doubt because of all the shocking news he’d gotten in such a close time frame, he needed to get himself under control. Tom wasn’t going to be waiting for him in Switzerland when they left the Dursleys, and he wasn’t going to tutor him or write to him. All of this was just part of Tom’s game. He would play his part until they parted ways and that was that.

They didn’t talk as they walked back to the inn. Harry kept expecting Tom to just walk off without a word until he remembered they were staying at the same inn. The thought annoyed him. Maybe he could stay at Draco’s and Sirius could come fetch him? Or even better, the inn might be connected to the Floo Powder network. He could just head straight over to his Godfather’s house; send an owl after to his parents after he arrived, if his parents even realized he was gone.

The entrance to the inn and its lobby was bright. Tom stopped at the staircase and gave Harry yet another look over.

“What?”

“I’m simply debating something…” He moved towards Harry and then stopped. “I suppose I’ve done enough.”

_You know you have you asshole. _

“Thanks.”

“I’ll be sure to talk to you before you leave in the morning. Perhaps…” his words trailed off and he sighed. “We’ll see.”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “We’ll see.” They parted ways, Tom going up the steps, Harry down the hall. It’d taken longer than he’d thought, but he’d finally done it. He’d gotten away from Tom. The manipulation king had gone back to his own world and Harry could focus on a far more pressing matter. Avoiding the Dursleys. He didn’t know how he was going to manage it, but he would. For his sake, he needed to, because he didn’t think he could handle any more stress.

He entered the room they were renting, surprised to see both his parents awake and waiting in bed. They both turned to look at him when he stepped in, his father especially looked shocked.

“I told you, you had till tomorrow morning to come back, why didn’t you make a run for it?”

Harry paled at that. Had his father really given him a chance at not going to the Dursleys and he’d stupidly come back?

“But, I mean,” he screwed his face up. Sure, he’d thought about it, intended to act upon it if given the chance, but he hadn’t even realized he’d had a chance. “I—“

“Harry, I’m joking, what’s wrong,” his father asked sitting up.

“Nothing…I just…I don’t want to go,” he said moving towards his bed. He could feel hot tears struggling to come out and with sheer stubbornness refused to let them out.

“Harry, it’s only a few hours,” Lily said getting up and sitting beside Harry. She wrapped her arms around him and his emotional wall broke, tears streaming down his face. “Harry, come on now. This is a bit much for just going to see your aunt and uncle.”

“They hate us,” he said angrily. Of course, he knew the real reason he was crying. His fake relationship had lasted less than ten hours, but it’d felt so real and he’d wanted it more than he was willing to tell anyone. Maybe he’d let Ron know, but probably not.

“Hey, I have an idea, why don’t we ask Tom to come with,” James said. “That way you have a friend, eh boyfriend, with you?”

Harry shot the darkest look he could muster at his father. It must have been a good one, because his father threw his hands up in surrender and backed away to the other bed.

“I promise Harry, it gets better,” his mother whispered. “You’ve had a bad start to your summer, and your father and I are mostly to blame for that.” She began stroking his hair. It was as if he was six years old again and he’d gotten hurt on his fake broom. “How about we let you choose the restaurant we go to?”

“No, I don’t want to be held responsible for making that decision,” he said offering his mother a smile.

“Good point, Petunia can choose,” she said returning the smile. “Feeling better?”

“A bit.”

“Go take a shower and get to bed. We’ll leave early and do something fun before we visit. I promise we’ll have a quick dinner so we can get to Switzerland and enjoy dessert.”

That brightened Harry’s mood more. He slipped out from his mother’s embrace, still embarrassed that he’d allowed Tom to get into his head so easily, and stepped into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

**(X)**

_Click….click….click…_

Harry frowned turning over in his bed.

_Click…_

He opened his eyes, the room a blurry mess between the darkness and him not wearing his glasses. He grabbed the glasses from the bedside table and slowly sat up. The only light was coming from a dim candle in the bathroom.

_Click._

He climbed off the bed. The sound was coming from the sliding glass doors that lead outside. The curtains had been pulled over them so no one could see inside. He doubted anything dangerous was on the other side of the door, but just in case, he grabbed his wand from the same bedside table his glasses had been on and approached the door. Wand ready he pulled back the curtain and almost fell back and screamed.

Tom was standing outside, his wand lit and looking rather impatient.

Harry jerked a look behind him. The scream must have only been in his head because his parents were still fast asleep. He looked around until he found the lock on the door and undid it. Tom was kind enough to open the door for him and pull him outside. He stumbled out through the door, Tom closing it behind him.

“Wh, what are you doing here,” he demanded. This wasn’t right. Their parting at the staircase was supposed to be the end of it, the finale. Never again unless by some cruel fate coincidence. No, he was positive he had not pissed off fate so bad that, that would happen.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Tom said angrily. He dropped his wand into his robe pocket, the only light source now coming from the stars above them. “I’ve never, once, in all the relationships I’ve ever been in, had to just walk away when the date ended.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry asked blinking. Tom was acting like this was somehow his fault, but the older teen had been the one to walk away, not Harry. Harry had wanted, despite his better judgment, to spend as much time with Tom as possible.

“You should be,” he hissed. He grabbed Harry’s chin and held it tight. Harry tensed, waiting for Tom to do something. Dumbledore’s words crossing his mind, begging Tom not to harm anyone. “I understand you want to take this _slow, _but I am not, I should be. I said I would be.” He released Harry’s chin. “But I won’t.” Harry didn’t have time to react. Tom was in front of him and then their lips were touching. Harry was sure he was dying, that there was no way his body could withstand the heat rising within him. Tom’s arms went around his waist, somehow pulling Harry closer. He bit down on Harry’s lower lip. Harry had no experience with kissing, but luckily, his body seemed to know how to respond. His own arms went around Tom, and he leaned forward, the kiss deepening.

They broke apart gasping, Harry wishing it could have gone on, but breathing was important and perhaps if Tom had taken the time to come visit him in the early hours of the morning, all because they hadn’t kissed when they’d separated, perhaps he did have a chance.

Tom licked his lips, his eyes falling onto Harry.

“You’ve had practice.”

“No,” Harry said. “I just…no.” He looked away.

“No?” Tom was beside him and he kissed Harry again, this time slow.

Harry’s hand came up to Tom’s neck.

When their lips separated again, Harry wasn’t sure how long they’d been snogging, but the sky was beginning to lighten. Harry dared to place his head on Tom’s shoulder again. This time the teen did not attempt to move away from him.

“That was a much better promise to see you again,” Tom said lowering his mouth to Harry’s ear. “Tell me, did our original departure leave a bad taste in your mouth?”

“Yes…”

“Is this okay,” he asked and Harry nodded quickly. “Good.” He kissed Harry’s neck and then reluctantly, pushed Harry to arm’s length. “I do want to see you again.”

“Me too,” Harry said giving in. There was no point in having pride. He was never coming back from this one. He didn’t have the energy and while he was being honest, he really didn’t want to. “My dad suggested you come with, to Little Whinging and then we can all go to Switzerland,” he said. He hadn’t intended to ever let Tom know his father had offered such a thing, but what did he have to lose? If Tom was playing some awful mind game, Harry had lost hours ago.

“That might not be a bad idea,” he said, his fingers running through Harry’s hair. “I admit, I’m not entirely convinced I should let you out of my sight.”

“No one is going to harm me,” Harry laughed. “But I’d appreciate the company. Maybe if you’re with me, seeing my mother’s family won’t be so bad.”

“If your father is any indication, I’m not sure even I’m that good, but I can try.” He kissed Harry again, on the cheek this time. “I really do not wish to leave your side.”

The sky was getting bright now, birds chirping.

“Will Dumbledore care if you come with us?”

Tom chuckled at that.

“Let him try and stop me.” He reclaimed Harry’s lips one more time before finally taking a few steps back. “I won’t stop if I don’t leave and I do believe I need to get ready….”

Harry could see everything outside now and was surprised to notice dark circles under Tom’s eyes.

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“…No. I tried,” he said frowning. “But that parting was too…final. I thought about coming downstairs and getting you, but I didn’t know your room number. Finally, I forced it out of the manager.” He rubbed his eyes with one hand. “By the time I had put my plan into action, it was well past midnight and I thought I should wait till morning, but I couldn’t so…here we are.”

Harry grinned at him. So, Tom had been as distraught as he had. He doubted the older teen had surrendered his dignity and cried while Dumbledore held him, but at the least, Harry had kept him up all night. That was good. It meant Harry had a lasting effect on him.

“We’re taking a car, so you can rest in there.”

“A muggle car,” Tom asked his curiosity showing. “Why?”

“Because mum doesn’t want to upset her sister,” Harry said rolling his eyes. “We’ll have the whole back seat to ourselves and a good hour and forty minutes until we get there.”

“But we’re only entertaining these Muggles for an hour or so,” Tom said.

“That’s all I’m entertaining them for,” Harry said. If his mother lied or tried to extend their time there, that was fine, she could do whatever she wished with them. He would be in the car or in Switzerland.

“I’ll see you soon.” He gave Harry one last smile and walked off towards the inn entrance. Harry quickly went back inside the room and locked the door again. His parents were still sleeping. A good sign because he was sure Tom and he hadn’t been quiet. Grinning he climbed back into his bed.

**(TBC)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank everyone for the amazing amounts of reviews and kudos I received after the last chapter. My petty self was very moved. I never expected so many of you to actually take the time to tell me how much you enjoyed this story. Thank you, it meant a lot to me. I will take the time to reply to each comment individually, but as a whole, thank you. It’s restored some of my faith that sometimes I can write a good story. Having second thoughts on that since I’ve finished the chapter now, but I got a laugh out of it so I at least there’s that.  
Warnings: Shonen-ai, yaoi, slash, gay. Harry Potter/Tom Riddle  
Notes: (X) pov change and or time jump

Chapter, 4

“Harry, we need to get going.” Harry could feel someone gently shaking his shoulder. He turned his head; his mother’s smiling face coming into view.

“Yeah, the faster we get this over with, the faster we can run,” James muttered from the other side of the room. Lily glared at James before looking back down at Harry.

“It will be fine,” she said patting Harry on the arm. She stood up from the bed and disappeared into the adjoining bathroom.

“Sure, if you consider getting mentally and verbally abused for an hour and a half fine,” James said shaking his head. “This came for you this morning.” He threw a large letter at Harry. It landed on the bed with a small thud.

Harry sat up in the bed and picked up the letter. Sirius’ name was written across it in large letters. It was heavy, not nearly as heavy as the one he’d sent his godfather, about half that weight. He opened the envelope pulling the two large folded pieces of paper out and scanned the contents.

‘Harry,

I will be having a talk with your father, leaving you to fend for yourself at the station! Actually, I’m not surprised James did, but I would have never thought Lily would forget you! At least the Weasleys were nice enough to bring you home, but you should have gotten ahold of me! I would have let them have it the second we stepped foot into your house.’

_And, how was I supposed to contact you, _Harry wondered. His situation would have been easy to deal with if he had had a way to communicate with someone.

He read on, most of the first page telling Harry how sorry he was that the beginning of his summer had been so lousy and that he would do everything he could to make up for it. He would make sure James and Lily never forgot their son again, or Harry would be spending the rest of his summers at his house. By the time he made it to the second page, he was laughing, probably what his godfather had intended. He was making everything seem so much worse than it was and promising equally extreme punishments in return. Sirius wouldn’t do any of this, of course. No, once they actually saw his godfather, Sirius would jokingly guilt trip his parents until both of them apologized to Harry again and the matter would be done with. Sirius would probably never let the issue go entirely; randomly bringing the subject up when he wanted to provoke James for one reason or another, but the results would be the same. Harry would not be forgotten again.

‘That guy you saw at the bookstore was just a snob, ignore him. You’ll probably never see him again. It’s better not to dwell on insignificant people and events that happen in your life. It will drive you crazy.’

If only Sirius knew that, the snob in the bookstore had suddenly become one of the most important aspects of his life. A grin spread across his face remembering a few hours ago. Tom’s lips had been so soft. A blush crept across his face as a reenactment played through his mind. He had actually made out with Tom Riddle. The git of a genius had come to his room and demanded his attention. Had demanded his affection. He was surprised he’d actually managed to fall asleep after that. His heart had been pounding so hard and it’d taken all his energy to keep himself from laughing once he’d returned to bed. He’d been sure he’d be wide awake the rest of the day from that excitement. 

“What’s with that look,” James asked grabbing Harry’s suitcase from beside his bed. “What did Sirius say?”

“Oh, I was…Um.” He set the letter down, his cheeks burning even more. “I wasn’t thinking about the letter…Tom said he’d go with us to the Little Whinging.” 

“Really? When did you speak with Tom again?” His father was smirking.

“T, this morning…while you and mum were asleep.” When he refused to say any more, his father gave an approving nod and slapped him hard on the back.

“You’re pretty good at sneaking out if you didn’t wake me up!” He leaned in close to Harry. “So you two made up then?”

“We weren’t fighting,” Harry said. “Not really…I thought he was just trying to screw with me like some of the people at school. So after the ceremony, I didn’t think I’d ever see him again…”

“Ah to be in love,” James laughed. He placed Harry’s suitcase back on the floor and gave his son a tight one-armed hug. “No wonder you’re not kicking and screaming, because believe me, I thought about it. If I left claw marks in the floor, your mother might actually give up and leave me here.” He winked at Harry and tousled his hair. “I’m glad things worked out for you.”

“Thanks…me too…”

“Did you make out yet?”

Harry’s head jerked up at the question, his eyes widening, his face turning dark red.

“Answers my question,” James laughed. He hoisted the suitcase back up, muttering a curse about the inconvenience of Muggles living nearby.

Harry watched him leave before deciding he really needed to get up himself. He climbed off the bed and changed into the Muggle clothes his mother had taken out of his suitcase. He slipped Sirius’ letter into his front pocket and then waited for his mother to come out of the bathroom. He couldn’t deny how happy he was, even if he did have to face the Dursleys later on that evening, he still had Tom for the whole day. Not even the Dursleys could take that away from him.

Once Lily finished in the bathroom, Harry went in. He’d showered the night before, so he just needed to spruce himself up a bit. He ran a comb through his hair and brushed his teeth. When he was finished, he grabbed all his things and left the bathroom.

“All ready,” his mother asked. She was smiling, but Harry could feel the tension coming from her. It was horrible that his mother felt so nervous to visit her family. She’d just won the most prestigious award a healer could get the night before and even with that, he knew his aunt would still look down on her. Probably more in fact for winning the award, because Lily hadn’t done it the Muggle way. He didn’t really understand why his mother had even arranged the dinner. She had to know it wouldn’t end well, it never did when they got together.

“We don’t have to do this,” Harry said. “We could just go straight to Switzerland.”

His mother’s smile faltered for a second and she gave a small shake of her head.

“No. Petunia is my sister. We have our differences, but she’s still my sister and the only family from my side that I have left. Dudley is your cousin; you deserve to get to know him.” The way she said the words sounded like she’d been telling herself these reasons again and again in hopes of convincing herself.

The sad thing was she could try to convince herself all she wanted. Aunt Petunia and her family weren’t going to care, nor change their minds. His mother could be elected the prime minister without using any sort of magic at all, and they would still find fault with it. It wasn’t right or fair and yet here his mother was, trying to make things civil between them. He was quite sure his mother would never manage this task completely, but he still admired her for trying.

“I do know Dudley, and I don’t like him,” Harry said, life coming back into his mother’s eyes. “He’s a bully, and a whale,” he said.

“Don’t call him that,” his mother snapped. A hint of a smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. “At least not in front of Petunia.”

They gathered what was left of their things inside the room and left. Once they were in the hall, Harry had the joy of trying to balance his toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, and deodorant with two smaller bags his mother had given him. For a brief second, he wondered how he was supposed to get ahold of Tom. Yes, the teen was staying at the same inn, but Harry had no idea in what room. He also didn’t think he could persuade the man at the counter to give him the room number, not that Tom had had any problems getting his. Tom, however, was a master manipulator.

The lobby was empty save for the man at the counter, no, not a man. The man had been replaced with a short woman. She waved at Lily and Harry, smiling brightly at the two of them.

“Thank you for staying at the Black Cat’s Inn! We hope to see you again!”

Harry found it ironic that the person who’d checked them in had been nothing, but rude and awful, and a nice woman was seeing them off. He glanced at the large clock hanging over the entrance doors, surprised that it read seven in the morning. His mother had already vanished through the doors and they would no doubt be leaving soon. He walked over to the desk, the woman still beaming at him.

“May I help you,” she asked sounding as if she wanted to do her absolute best to help with him anything he might possibly need, regardless if it was to answer a simple question or murder someone.

“Another guest staying here, Tom Riddle, is supposed to be leaving with us,” Harry said. “I know he’s upstairs, but not his actual room number—“ Harry realized how bad that sounded as the words left his mouth. Who didn’t know the room number their traveling companion was staying in?

“I am so horribly sorry, but I cannot give you the room number to another guest,” she said. She didn’t sound sorry, and seemed to realize it, because she tapped her wand against her throat. “It’s against policy,” she explained, her voice sounding normal now, the cheerfulness gone.

“Could you leave him a note then,” Harry asked. “Or go tell him his ride is leaving?”

“Let’s see.” She pulled out a large leather-bound book and started scanning the pages. “You said, Mr. Riddle?”

“It might be under the name Dumbledore,” Harry said. He shifted the items he was holding in his arms trying not to drop them. Why had his father taken his bag before he’d finished getting ready anyway?

“Ah, Mr. Dumbledore,” she said frowning. She closed the book and placed it under the counter. “No can do, they have a privacy request in place. That room is not to be disturbed unless under extreme emergency circumstances,” she said. “No letters, no packages, no interviews, and no wake-up calls.”

Harry stared at her dumbfounded. How was he supposed to tell Tom they were leaving if he couldn’t get ahold of him? He couldn’t go upstairs and knock on every door until Tom or Dumbledore answered.

“Listen, no hard feelings, right? A lot of our more famous guests request the privacy option. That way the Daily Prophet reporters and people who claim to know them, but really don’t can’t bother them.” Harry hadn’t realized that the woman was probably only a few years older than him. She was giving him a look that begged him not to cause a commotion.

“Okay,” Harry said the words taking their time to sink in. Had Tom known there was a privacy request for his room and had just forgotten or had he really played Harry along until he’d finally gotten a kiss out of him? Was that what he did? Did he pretend to be taken with someone until he made out with them?

“I swear it’s nothing against you. I’ve had to turn down a lot of people in the last few hours. A couple of reporters, some young girls, this older man,” she said sighing. It seemed Dumbledore and Tom were in demand.

“So I can’t even leave a message with you to give to him when he checks out?”

“Afraid not.” She bit her lip. “Please don’t make an issue of this. I really can’t afford to get written up again.”

“No, it’s fine,” Harry said quickly. “I’ll send him an owl later letting him know where to meet us.”

“Well, just so you know, until he leaves that room, an owl can’t find him,” she said nervously.

“Right.” Harry almost told her good luck dealing with Tom when he came downstairs to ask where Harry was. Then he realized there was a good chance he’d been tricked into making out with Tom, that everything had just been some kind of twisted entertainment for him. If he said anything then, the witch, who he was sure probably thought he was lying about knowing Tom, would just have her suspicions confirmed. Harry was just another nuisance now that Tom had snogged him.

He was moving much slower as he headed for the car. His parents were both inside waiting for him. His father got out and opened the trunk. He dropped all the items he’d been holding into the trunk at once.

“You look like someone broke your broom,” James said frowning. He lowered his voice. “Did Tom change his mind?”

“Privacy on the room,” Harry said not quite remembering everything the witch had said. “No one can bother the room unless it’s a dire emergency.”

His father tilted his head.

“We could set the inn on fire.”

Harry glanced up at his father smiling.

“Mum would kill us.”

“If we’re caught we could avoid the Dursleys,” he added. “Not such a bad trade-off.”

“Then mum would divorce you,” Harry said.

“Would you divorce me if I burned the inn down to avoid dinner with your sister and her family,” James called out.

“I most certainly would,” Lily yelled back.

“Ah, I tried,” James said giving a halfhearted shrug. “I’m sure he’ll send you an owl once he wakes up. You can tell him where to meet us.”

"We can't wait a little bit longer? Maybe eat breakfast at the Frog's Pond?" He knew his parents didn't want to pay for another day at the inn, but why were they leaving so early? It would only take them two hours at most to get to Little Whinging. They could afford to wait a little longer, right? Couldn't they give him that much after all the stupid crap they'd put him through the last two days? He was willing to give up the supposed "something fun" if it meant waiting for Tom. Fun would be just being with Tom. 

The thought surprised him. Tom had done nothing, but drive him crazy since they’d met. Did snogging someone really make you forget what an arse someone was? 

_But, he wasn't an arse after we "got together". _He frowned folding his arms across his chest and looked at the entrance of The Cat's Tail Inn. There had to be some way he could get Tom’s attention or leave him a message.

"Is there anything we can do," Harry asked. Since his father had not answered him when he asked about staying, he guessed that wasn't a possibility, though he couldn't understand why. 

"...There is something, but…" His father tilted his head slightly, his eyes dancing. Harry knew that gleam in his father's eyes all too well. It was the same look he got when he and Sirius were together and had decided to prank someone. "We should probably ask your mother if she has any ideas first."

"Yeah." He didn’t understand why his father had to be so destructive most of the time. It was almost as if he enjoyed destroying things.

James and Harry walked to the front of the car. James opened the door on his side and poked his head in.

“Any ideas on how to get around a privacy request?”

“Hm?” Lily must have noticed the look James had because her eyes narrowed slightly. “Why?”

“Albus opted for the privacy request. Harry can’t send Tom a wakeup call.”

“Is Tom going with us,” Lily asked. She didn’t seem displeased, but Harry could tell she wasn’t quite happy about the news either.

“I talked to Tom this morning, he said he’d go with,” Harry said. “But he forgot to exclude me from the privacy request so…” He shrugged.

“Harry…” She was giving him a look of pity that Harry didn’t want to see. “I think it might be best if we just leave.” Her voice had taken a soft tone, the one she used every time she didn’t want to hurt Harry in some way.

_Even she thinks he was just using me, great. _His mother was often right about things.

“Lily—“

“James, just get in the car so we can go.”

James looked at Harry who shrugged and climbed into the car. They buckled up, Harry wishing again that they could just use Floo Powder instead of having to spend the next two hours stuck in a car. He could use some of that time to compose a letter to Sirius in his head, but after that, he’d be staring numbly out the window again and alone with his thoughts.

For now, he just wanted to leave Wiltshire and never come back. He was done with this town. If his mum won another healer’s award, they had better have the ceremony somewhere else, because he wasn’t coming back. In fact, he wasn’t going to any more award ceremonies, ever, because Tom might be there and he didn’t need the teen giving him looks of superiority and taunting him while he tried to survive another awful night. So Harry had allowed himself to be tricked, so what? He wasn’t gullible, he’d known how crazy and foolish he’d been letting Tom talk him into “dating” him. That teen was a monster. He could manipulate anyone.

Only, there was a small chance Tom hadn’t done any of this on purpose. Hadn’t he told Harry he hadn’t slept at all? Maybe he just hadn’t woken up yet and had forgotten to tell the person behind the desk that Harry was the exception to his privacy request.

Whatever the reason, he was on the way to the Dursleys with only his father as backup and while the two of them had survived before working together so as not to kill any of his mother’s relatives, he still couldn’t deny feeling a little depressed. Tom would have been a wonderful asset to have in dealing with the Dursleys and really, Harry had just wanted to be with him. 

_Well, I at least got to snog him, _he thought smirking_. _How many people could actually claim that? Even if that was Tom’s end game for everyone, he was positive the look Tom had given him after they'd finished snogging had been one of surprise and desire. Tom might never admit it to anyone else, but Harry knew that Tom had enjoyed it. He no longer needed to worry about being a good kisser either, because if someone like Tom thought he was good, he would seem like a pro to normal people.

_Normal people. _That was a good way to put it. Tom was not normal by any means and Harry was the definition of normal. He was in no way special beyond his Quidditch skills and maybe with Defense magic. His Defense teachers often praised him for his above grade work in that subject. Most of his school had normal people in it, even Hermione, who just happened to have a brilliant mind was normal in most other ways. 

Did any of those normal people make his heart race as Tom had? He allowed his mind to shift through mental images of the people he shared his day-to-day life with. There were plenty of people, but none of them brought about even the smallest bit of a blush to his face. He tried to think about Cho and even that no longer brought its usual rush of excitement.

For a moment he was worried he would never feel anything for anyone else again, but that was stupid. People recovered from bad relationships all the time and he hadn’t even been in an actual relationship. He’d snogged a guy he’d known for less than three hours. He didn’t even have the right to be angry about being lead on. No one hooked up in three hours of meeting and could expect anything lasting. The witch at the counter had been right; Harry was indeed on the list of people who pretended to know Tom and did not.

_I know Dumbledore well enough, _he thought with a laugh. He knew the headmaster much better than he knew his son.

“What’s so funny,” Lily asked turning to look at Harry. “You’re not planning something, are you?” His mother was pale, her eyes pleading with him to behave.

“No,” Harry said. As much as he hated his cousin and the Dursleys in general, he wanted things to go well for his mother’s sake. He would behave and try to be as pleasant as he could. He wouldn’t try to use any magic or pull any pranks, because he could tell that this was very important to his mother and he didn’t want to disappoint her. He’d already done that enough.

His heart sank immediately.

Tom had said he’d tutor him.

_Maybe Hermione could tutor me,_ he thought, trying to find a solution fast. Even if he kept on track to be an Auror, his mother wanted him to pass all of his classes. If Tom wasn’t going to help him, Hermione would be his best bet. It would probably take some convincing, Hermione knew he tried, usually, but was also aware of his lazy streaks. He would have to swear to her that he would remain focused and do whatever she asked of him and he would, because he didn’t want to see his mother give him that look again.

“Sirius replied to my letter, I was just thinking about how to answer it.”

“You were laughing in the room too,” James said. “Maybe I could read it when you’re finished? I could use a laugh.”

Lily hit him on the arm, James feigning injury.

"What did he have to say," Lily asked. 

"He wants us to get together before I go back to school," Harry said picking the more pleasant parts of the letter to repeat. He didn't want to add to his parents' already strained mental states. He opened his mouth to mention Sirius's comment about Tom and stopped. He needed to forget about Tom. Even if Tom hadn't been toying with him, there was a good chance he would be angry with Harry for leaving without him. He couldn't be sure, but he felt like Tom wouldn't be happy with him. Even he knew he hadn't tried hard enough to get a message to Tom, but the more he'd thought about it, he just couldn't. He didn't want to know if Tom had really used him or not. It was easier to think Tom had overslept and then had gotten mad at Harry for leaving without making any real effort to inform him, rather than find out he'd been used. 

_Some Gryffindor I am, _he thought bitterly. He didn't deserve to be in the school house known for its courage. 

"Harry," Lily asked. "What's wrong?"

Harry's eyes flicked up to his mother. He really didn't want to cause her anymore worry.

"Will I get to see Sirius and Remus for my birthday?"

His mother relaxed, a smile crossing her features, her eyes warm.

"We planned to stay in Switzerland until after your birthday, but if you'd rather go home--"

"I would," he said quickly. He wanted to see Sirius, tell him in person everything that had happened since his summer holiday had started, and ask how he should handle situations with people like Tom. Maybe even get Remus’ thoughts on the matter. He knew the teen had been an exception, most people were not like that, but if he ever ran into someone like him, again he wanted to be prepared.

"Hey, I know Sirius is great, but don't cut our holiday in Switzerland short over him," James protested. "You might like it more than Sirius." 

Harry didn't think that would be the case and just shrugged. He loved his godfather and Remus. They had supported him as long as he could remember, just like his parents and while he was confident his parents could help him with Tom, they had enough to deal with right now.

“What if we just convince Sirius and Remus to meet us in Switzerland on your birthday,” James suggested.

“Do you think they would,” Harry asked.

“Don’t see why not. A bit of Floo Powder and they can join us for the weekend.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Lily said.

“Yeah…If he’s not busy,” Harry said trying to word things just right. “I doubt he’s spending his whole summer with me.”

“Do a lot of people request those privacy rooms,” Harry asked. His parents exchanged looks.

“It just depends on the person. Given how famous Dumbledore is and Tom’s following close in his footsteps, I can see why they would,” James said. “It’s a real pain to have reporters hassling you every time you turn around.”

“Why didn’t they bother us,” Harry asked.

“I talked with the Daily Prophet before I left F.A.I.R.Y.,” Lily said. “It’s easier. Besides the award I’m not a big deal, so we didn’t think it was necessary.

Harry nodded; glad his parents and he weren’t famous. It sounded like a real pain to have to deal with reporters and strangers trying to get into your hotel room.

“Will our room have privacy in Switzerland,” Harry asked.

“Do we need it,” James asked and Harry saw him raise an eyebrow in the rearview mirror. “Something I should know about?”

“No,” Harry said grinning at his father. “I solemnly swear I’ve been nothing, but good.”

His father’s continuous laughter filled the car at that, Lily shaking her head, but she was smiling. The tension in the car and his parents seemed to have faded and Harry let himself relax.

By the time they arrived in Little Whinging, Harry had composed three letters in his head. One to Sirius, another to Hermione, and finally one to Ron, and a possible fourth one to Draco. There was a small chance Harry could still get in contact with Tom, privacy room or not, but trying it would be risky. If he asked Draco to wait for Tom, he might straight out refuse, or worse. He might do it just for Tom to laugh at Draco, explain what he’d done, and then Harry would have to hear about it the next two years at Hogwarts from every person Draco told. The bad far outstretched the one percent chance of Tom actually wanting to know where Harry was and how to get there. 

He gave his head a firm shake. He really needed to move on. He blinked a few times at that. Wasn’t Draco a tamer version of Tom? He’d noticed it at F.A.I.R.Y, but he’d gotten so caught up in everything else going on, he’d forgotten. Everyone had certain types of people they were drawn to. Maybe that’s why he’d fallen for Tom so easily. Was he attracted to jerks? No, Tom wasn’t always a jerk. But, neither was Draco.

_Maybe I just like guys, _he thought. _Arrogant guys. _That seemed right. It wasn’t jerks he liked, it was confident people. Perhaps, because he lacked so much himself. Draco could be as much of a coward as he was, but he hid it better.

Harry allowed his thoughts to wonder while his father and mother tried to decide what they should do for the day. James eventually had to park the car at a small diner; they could only drive around the same streets so many times without looking suspicious. When it was obvious, his parents weren’t going to agree on anything soon, he climbed out of the car and started rummaging through his things in the trunk. He removed the “low quality” writing items, closed the trunk, and got back into the car. His parents had not noticed.

He started his first letter, this one for Sirius. He tried to assure his godfather everything was okay, but he had something he wanted to talk to him about in person. He made sure to let him know it was nothing serious, just something he wanted his and Remus’s opinion on. He also asked if it would be possible for Sirius and Remus to meet them in Switzerland for his birthday. He made sure to keep the letter to the point and short. He didn’t want all of his letters to Sirius over the summer to be novel-length.

The second letter was to Hermione begging her to consider tutoring him. The one to Ron.

He finished his letters, not surprised to find his parents still bickering over what they should do until they had to meet the Dursleys later. Harry wasn’t exactly surprised, there wasn’t much to do here. He undid his seatbelt, stretched his legs out and grabbed his letter to Sirius to add more. He had a feeling they were going to be there awhile.

**(X)**

For the second night in a row, Harry had been forced into dress clothes, only this time, the Muggle version. At least he wasn’t in a suit, just nice blue slacks and a dark blue button-up shirt. He was then informed it would be a few hours’ drive to the restaurant in question. Thankfully, the Dursleys had taken their own car. Harry didn’t think he could survive with all three of the Dursleys sitting in the back of the car with him, nor did he believe the Dursleys would allow anyone in the Potter family to even get near their car.

He was waiting to be seated with the rest of his family, everyone dressed for the occasion, Petunia and his mother making small talk, mostly about the weather. The man in charge of reservations kept shifting uneasily behind his podium.

_Even he can tell how much we hate each other, _Harry thought. How much he wanted Tom with him, if only to talk too. It was already six p.m., but no owls had approached Harry, not that he hadn’t been looking. He spent more time staring up at the sky while trailing behind his parents while they toured a famous garden. Harry had not seen most of it. Harry knew he needed to accept that Tom probably wanted nothing to do with him anymore. His stomach felt sick at just the thought. At least he would be distracted here. 

He looked around the restaurant, not that he could see much. The entrance followed a long hall with granite floors that mimicked marble and turned left at the end, which was the actual seating area, so all he could look at was the host and the two bathroom signs at the of the hall.

After what felt like an hour, a waiter in black dress pants, and a black vest over a white shirt beckoned to them. The host let them through. Harry was sure this is what it felt like if you were walking towards certain death. His stomach kept twisting up in knots. He just wanted to leave, but he knew that option was not possible. His mother would never let him near the door.

The actual restaurant was fancier than Harry had expected. His mouth must have opened just a bit, because Aunt Petunia sniffed, her head held high, and whispered to Uncle Vernon “the boy better not embarrass us.” The room was large, easily containing fifty tables without any of them being close to one another. The floors were hardwood and the walls a cream color. On the side of each table hanging from the ceiling were individual small glass beads, all of them lighting up, and forming into one large glass sphere. Dead center of the room was a huge fountain, white flowers blooming from the cylinder vase in the middle. Water flowed from the bottom of the vase into the water reservoir beneath it. The waiters and waitresses, all dressed in black uniforms, were walking fast, but with grace from table to table taking orders and making sure everything was going right with their customers.

They were seated at a long table for six, two chairs on each side, and one on both ends. The waiter handed them menus and told them he would return shortly. The seating arrangement was at least manageable. Starting at the end chair on the left and going clockwise was James, then Dudley, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon as far from Harry’s dad as possible directly across from James. Then Harry and his mother. Harry knew his uncle would say nothing to him and with Dudley next to his father; he wouldn’t be tempted to try anything. With his mother in-between Harry and James, they couldn’t conspire, nor would James attempt to bully Dudley. His mother had definitely given this some thought.

Harry opened his menu wondering what would be acceptable for him to order. Nothing looked quite good, at least, not by name or description. _Maybe we can go get burgers after this, _he thought. Eating pork chops or a burger or steak was one thing, but he almost felt guilty for doing so with the way the menu put it. A suckling pig? Who ate a suckling pig? It sounded like he would be eating a baby pig that hadn’t yet been weaned from its mother. He looked away from the menu, his stomach convulsing at the thought.

“Harry,” Lily asked alarmed.

“Sorry, still feeling a bit sick from the car ride,” he lied.

“Must get that from your father’s side. Dudley here has never gotten car sick, have you, Dudley,” Vernon asked cheerfully.

_And, here starts hell._

“Probably,” Harry said getting surprised looks from everyone at the table. It was just easier to agree with his uncle. They were too early into the dinner and hadn’t even ordered their food yet. Harry couldn’t start a fight that early into the evening. Besides, one look at his mother’s family’s faces told him he’d shocked them more by agreeing then by fighting back. “I think I’ll just order the beef with mousseline potatoes, baby carrots, white asparagus, and truffle.” He knew he liked beef and he couldn’t get himself to touch the pork right now.

Whispered gasps from those around them made Harry look up from the menu. Had he said something wrong? Was ordering beef the wrong choice somehow? He swore he’d seen at least one other person eating a steak as they walked to their table.

“Truly, we wish to be of service to you, but none of our reservations are for a Potter,” an older man dressed in a crisp black suit said. He was standing at the entrance to the sitting room, bowing his head, and repeatedly apologizing.

“There.”

Harry froze, this time only for a moment. His body and mind seemed to be getting used to the states of shock he kept entering because he was recovering faster from them.

“Mr. Riddle, please. That is not—“

“Are you saying I don’t know who I’m supposed to be dining with,” the voice demanded.

“Of course not!” The older man sounded close to tears now and bowed again. “Please, this way.” He motioned with his arms in Harry’s direction. “YOU!” The older man’s voice suddenly turned sharp as he eyed the first waiter he saw. “GET AN EXTRA CHAIR BROUGHT TO THAT TABLE IMMEDIATELY!” He motioned to the table Harry was sitting at.

Tom walked into view then, his eyes falling on Harry. He smirked at him, Harry at a loss. Tom had dressed for the occasion, black dress pants, a black dress shirt, and a long-sleeved dress coat, unbuttoned, but form-fitting and a tan belt to break up the repeated colors. He strode straight to Harry, ignoring the whispers that followed him.

“Please move,” the waiter who’d been yelled at said to Lily. Lily did as she was told moving her chair over so the new one could be inserted between her and Harry.

“Thank you,” Tom said. He handed the waiter some Muggle money and sat down in the chair. Another waiter thrust a menu in front of him. “Thank you, Claude.”

“Always a pleasure,” the waiter said. He bowed and backed away quickly.

The Dursleys looked on in some strange mix of shock and horror.

“I take it you’ve been here before,” Harry asked quietly. He had a thousand other questions, but this was what came out first.

“A few times,” Tom admitted. “It took forever to find you. It’s a good thing I remembered their name.” He motioned to the family on the other side of the table, his eyes never leaving Harry.

“You could have asked,” Harry said.

“Where’s the fun in that,” Tom asked. He let out a small chuckle as two waiters and a waitress ran up to the table, all of them holding small plates in each hand. The older man joined them holding one plate that he presented to Tom like a jewel.

“Courtesy of the chef,” the man said. “And an apology for second-guessing you,” he mumbled. “I do full-heartedly apologize.” The servers placed a small plate in front of everyone, each one holding a different pudding about the size of Harry’s thumb. All of them looked fancier than Harry even thought possible for a dessert to look. “If you need anything at all—“

“I’m here to enjoy myself,” Tom said holding his hand up. “Not to cause you any trouble or expect something superb. I would never put Marius under such stress.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest--!”

“Don’t lie,” Tom said smiling. “On your way.”

“Of, of course!” The older man bowed again and backed away, the other servers bolting as fast as they could.

“What did you do to these people,” Harry asked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, but he did. Everyone seemed to be terrified of Tom.

“I harmed no one,” Tom said. “They simply know who I am.”

_You mean even Muggles know about him, _Harry thought.

“Sorry if I caused a scene,” Tom said to Lily. “I didn’t realize Peter would panic at the sight of me. I usually call ahead so they can prepare.” He gave her a full teeth smile and she blushed.

“Prepare for what,” Uncle Vernon managed to ask.

“I’m a bit of a connoisseur in desserts. The chef likes to be prepared, but a surprise visit never hurts.” He winked at Uncle Vernon who actually blushed and had to look away.

_This is not happening. _What was Tom trying to prove with any of this?

“We haven’t ordered yet,” James said after an uneasy silence. “Feel free to join us.”

“Oh, I don’t need to look at the menu. The chef knows what I’ll be ordering.” He lifted the menu and waved it. “This is just in case I’ve lost my mind and can’t remember what they serve.” His voice rose as he spoke.

A waiter nearby rushed over and took the menu from Tom. He apologized and disappeared into the kitchen with it.

“Are you sure you haven’t done anything to them,” Harry demanded in a whisper.

“Really, I’m a food critic for desserts,” Tom said his eyes widening slightly. “You didn’t know?”

“You’re Tom Riddle,” Aunt Petunia gasped.

“I am,” Tom said grinning. “Thank you for letting me join your family for dinner.”

“The pleasure is ours,” Petunia said, one of her hands resting on her chest. “Why ever did you choose to join us?”

“Harry,” Tom said and left it at that. He picked up the fork lying next to his plate and took a small bite of what Harry thought had to be the tiniest piece of chocolate cake ever. “Ah Marius shouldn’t have been worried.”

Harry was grateful Tom hadn’t explained and even better, he’d changed the subject. The wizarding community may be all right with same-gender relationships, but Muggles were not nearly as accepting. 

“So you…eat puddings for a living,” Vernon asked uneasily.

“No, it’s a pass time. I’m a researcher,” Tom explained. “My studies take me to a lot of different places and when I’m in the area I try out the puddings and write reviews about them for newspapers and magazines.”

“You’re a researcher,” Vernon asked. “You expect me to believe that? At your age?”

“I graduated from school early,” Tom said smoothly.

“When he was fourteen,” Aunt Petunia said batting her eyelashes at Tom. “I, it’s in your profile in the magazines,” she said. Her cheeks were pink.

Harry tried taking it all in. Tom was a Muggle dessert critic that even Aunt Petunia knew about? On top of being a researcher who’d found a cure for Wizarding flu, and a way to speed up healing in healing ointment. There had to be a catch somewhere. People like this couldn’t really exist. And if they did, they sure as hell didn’t interact with normal people like Harry. At least they didn’t date the normal people like Harry. So what was this? Why had Tom tracked him down like this? How had he tracked him down? They were hours away from the Dursley home and it wasn’t like he’d even mentioned their address.

“How,” Harry finally breathed out.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Tom said turning to look at him. Harry felt a chill run down his spine. “You aren’t so hard to find.”

Harry had to keep his emotions in check, but it wasn’t easy. If Tom could find him this easily in the Muggle community, he would never be able to get far in the Wizarding world.

_Is…he threatening me? _

“G, good…” His fork hit his plate so hard it scrapped against it, a loud noise following. Harry dropped it fast, his face turning bright red, and put his hands in his lap. Everyone around them was whispering, some of them were craning their necks to see Tom from their seats.

“Why don’t you suggest what we should order,” Aunt Petunia said. She lifted her menu up so Tom could see it.

Tom looked amused, but Harry was sure it was from his reaction and not Petunia’s request.

“Marius is a world-renowned chef. Whatever you order, I’m sure it will be delicious.” His eyes drifted back to Harry.

_Why is my summer going so wrong!? _

**(TBC)**

Enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were things I didn’t like much in chapter 4 and parts I really enjoyed. Hopefully, this chapter will be much better. And again, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and Kudos!!!  
Warnings: It’s Shonen-ai, yaoi, slash, gay, whatever you call it. Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle  
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump  
Notes 2: I do not know French. I studied Japanese. So the minor conversation was handled by google translate. If it’s wrong, and it probably is, blame that.

Chapter, 5

Harry sat, his mind numb, watching the events play out, his mind trying to piece things together once more. How many times had Tom destroyed his mentality? It just wasn’t possible. None of this was possible. Tom Riddle was famous in both the Wizarding Community and the Muggle world? His Aunt Petunia, one of the most "normal" Muggles in the world, was aware of Tom Riddle. Was fawning over him like a teenage girl. 

_Like I can talk. _He wanted Tom's attention on him, but that was crazy. Understandable it seemed, but still crazy. Even if Tom liked him as he claimed and Harry was beginning to think that was true, how long until he found someone else? It would be easy to find someone better looking, smarter, anything really then Harry. Anyone of the healers at the F.A.I.R.Y convention, probably most of the people sitting inside the restaurant. He was seated with the few who weren’t, but everyone else? He gave the room a good look over. Not far to their left was what looked to be an older teen with his parents with short blonde hair and a nice face. A bit farther to the right was a beautiful girl with long brown hair wearing a whitish blue sparkling dress. She was laughing at something the girl with her said. Harry couldn’t see her friend’s face, but she had long curly blonde hair and was wearing a pink dress.

More looks around the room gave him the same results. Successful people out enjoying their evening. None of them looked out of place here. They were at ease, dining in a place they most likely ate at once or twice a month, maybe even a week. Anyone of them could be Tom’s next victim.

_Tom’s Fancy, _Harry reminded himself with a slight smirk. Even if the person would end up a victim soon after as he moved from person to person.

“What are you staring at,” Tom asked, just a hint of anger in his voice.

Harry redirected his gaze towards Tom. The teen did not look happy in the least. In fact, despite the smile on his face, his eyes said he was ready to kill someone. Harry rolled his eyes. He was allowed to look at the competition. It wasn’t like he was going to leave with any of the restaurant guests. Tom was. He was simply curious as to what successful Muggles looked like.

_Granted…_ An image of Draco flashed through his mind for just a second. He couldn’t do anything about it right now, Tom would murder them it seemed, but after Tom had moved on, why not ask Draco out? He’d thought it was mad at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he kind of liked the idea. If he could get Draco away from his father and they moved in together, perhaps Draco would stop being such a git to his other friends.

“Harry,” Tom said. Harry could hear a hint of a growl now.

“The fountain,” Harry said, since it was true. He had started out looking at the fountain. He couldn’t help his gaze had wandered. Even if it wasn’t one of these people, the chances of them being similar were high. _Probably a witch or wizard though, _he thought. Tom was wrapped up in both communities too strongly for him to date a Muggle.

"I loved your review on the Ginger layer cake with poached pears and cream cheese," Petunia said. She’d raised her voice in no doubt an attempt to get Tom to look her way again. This was the first time he'd heard excitement in his Aunt's voice when she wasn't speaking about Dudley. "You were quite right. The pears weren’t necessary. I found the recipe and substituted the pairs with lemons as you suggested. It was delicious," she said beaming.

"I remember that cake," Dudley said his eyes going distant, a smile on his face. "It was good."

_If he gets along with the Dursleys…_ There would be no chance that Tom and he would get along. The fact that they could have a decent conversation was proof enough. Not that the Dursleys would accept Tom if they knew he was a Wizard, but they wouldn’t find out. It took a special kind of person to be friends with the Dursleys however, and Harry wanted nothing to do with it.

_It doesn't matter. _Of course, it did, but Harry didn't want to acknowledge that right now. What he wanted was to leave the restaurant and go to Sirius's house. He didn't even care if they went to Switzerland anymore, he just wanted to be around _his _family and around people that actually cared about him. People he could confine in with everything.

"Is your table ready to order," a waiter asked. This waiter was different from the one that had originally seated them. He seemed more refined, his clothes somehow of higher quality than the other staff. Harry wondered how he managed to keep such a pristine look since he was running from table to table taking orders and delivering food.

"I'm ready," James said. "Lils? Harry?" 

"If everyone else is," Lily said giving James warning glare.

Harry nodded absently turning his attention back to the fountain in the room. 

"I think I have to agree with Petunia. We should let the expert order for us," Vernon said giving Tom a smile. “What would you suggest?”

_Because thinking for yourself and possibly ordering something Tom wouldn’t like would be a catastrophe! _He rolled his eyes. 

Petunia's smile was so large Harry was sure her jaw was going to break. Dudley looked somewhat disappointed, his eyes lingering on something on the menu. His mother gave him a sharp look and he reluctantly set the menu down. 

"We know what we want," James said in a neutral tone. "Maybe Tom can let us know if we're in danger of something nasty when we order our puddings." He smiled at Tom. "No offense?"

“Some people just know when to ask for help, others…" He gave James a half-smile and winked at him before turning to the waiter. Petunia and Vernon looked thrilled at Tom’s words. "Does anyone have any food allergies?"

"No," Petunia said. "None of us have any of those dreadful things." She raised her head high as if looking down on the would-be allergies.

“Wonderful.” Tom turned to the waiter giving him yet another large smile. “The young man here will be partaking in your hákarl special drizzled with durian and served with a side of jing leed.” He motioned to Vernon. “He will be having shirako paired with pinyin.” The charm seemed to be flowing off him as he turned to Petunia. “And for the dear woman, arroz de cabidela with Skuon.”

Harry noticed the waiter was trying to fight off an expression of some sort. His eyes shot from each person sitting at the table before settling on Tom.

“Monsieur, êtes-vous sûr?” Sir, are you sure?

“Tu me questionnes?” Are you questioning me?

“Vous ne devez pas aimer cette famille.” You must not like this family.

“Je déteste les gros et la girafe.” I detest the fat ones and the giraffe.

The waiter gave a small nod.

“Compris.” Understood.

_Of course, he would know another language, _Harry thought now glaring at the fountain. Tom probably knew hundreds of languages, no all of them. He was scowling now and tapping his foot on the floor. No one was supposed to be this smart or perfect. Who even wanted to date someone so perfect? All it did was show all your flaws. He knew he had flaws; he didn’t need to have them thrown in his face every few minutes.

"My son and I are having the steak meals," James said setting his menu down.

"And I’ll have the chicken dinner," Lily said. 

"How would you like your steaks," the waiter asked.

“Well done,” James said. “Harry?”

“Well done is fine,” he muttered.

“There’s that grumpy attitude I know,” Tom said cheerfully. He gave Harry a gentle shove on the arm.

Harry glared at him, his face turning red.

“Very well…I will place the orders,” the waiter said removing the menus from the table and disappearing into the kitchen. Dudley watched the waiter go, almost looking like he wanted to cry.

“Dudley’s never grumpy, are you Dudlikins,” Petunia said, her voice covered in sugar. “He’s always been such a cheerful boy.”

Harry was pretty sure Dudley was grumpy right now. His cousin was staring at his plate as hard as he’d been staring at the fountain. He wasn’t sure if he blamed Dudley either. He’d never heard of hákarl and there was no telling what Dudley was getting to eat. All of the things Tom had mentioned had sounded foreign and weird.

“Are you jealous they’re trying something new,” Tom asked.

“Hardly,” Harry said. “I told you yesterday, I’m normal. I’ll stick with my well-done steak.”

“Probably for the best,” Tom said. He dropped his hand on Harry’s shoulder and patted it. “I don’t think these dishes are for you.” He seemed to think about something. “Stick with the normal steak.”

“Whatever,” Harry said.

“Don’t be rude boy,” Vernon snapped.

Lily’s hand went to James’ own. His father looked conflicted, but Lily shook her head.

_Don’t screw this up, _Harry reminded himself. If Tom hadn’t joined them he could have spent the entire evening staring at the fountain or his plate while his aunt and uncle rattled off insults, some more direct then others. He could have picked at his food, eaten some of it if it was good and then begged his father to take him to a burger joint or a chippy. There had to be one or the other somewhere in the area.

“I’d really—,“ James started.

“—Tom, I’m quite curious, how did you find us,” Lily said cutting James off. “We were under the impression you were busy today,” she said.

Harry hated how desperate she looked. If they started fighting now it would be his fault. All the planning and begging his mother must have done to get his Aunt Petunia to even consider having dinner with them again would be for nothing. He lowered his gaze back to the table, his fists clenching at his sides. His father and he could vent after the dinner was over. They just had to handle this for another hour or so.

“Oh, nothing a few phone calls couldn’t handle,” Tom laughed. “I realized my mistake when I awoke and found you gone.” He might have been laughing, but Harry could feel the dark aura radiating from him. “And while I’m sure you were just so pressed for time this morning you couldn’t wait, I admit I was feeling a bit, angry?”

_He is definitely mad, _Harry thought. He wanted to rest his head on the table, or in his hand, but he knew if his elbow touched the table, his aunt would scream.

“Harry mentioned going out to dinner so I called around all the restaurants within your driving time and asked if there were any reservations under the name Potter.”

Petunia sniffed at that, as did Vernon. Tom ignored them.

“When that didn’t work, I thought myself out of luck, but I managed to locate you after all,” he finished pleasantly.

_That didn’t explain anything!! _

“How did you even come to…meet them,” Petunia asked struggling to get the words out. It finally seemed to occur to her that Tom might be more than just a food critic.

“We ran into him at a banquet,” Lily said smiling ear to ear. “To celebrate doctors.” The smile was so forced his mother’s face was turning colors.

_Why did I have to get dragged into this, _Harry mentally groaned. They could have just left him with Sirius for the evening. Of course, if he stayed with Sirius, his father wouldn’t have gotten near the restaurant and his mother would have been eating dinner with his aunt’s family alone. Right now that seemed completely fair. Here he was, trying to behave, despite his uncle’s jabs, and Tom provoking him and they weren’t even trying to defend him. How could they call themselves his family? First, they’d forgotten him at the train station, now they were letting the Dursleys insult him. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe his parents didn’t care about him nearly as much as he’d thought.

“Well we were certainly lucky that you found us,” Aunt Petunia said. “I never imagined I’d get to meet you in person. I’d say we’re the lucky ones.”

“Quite right Petunia, quite right,” Vernon said slapping the table lightly.

The waiter reappeared with a wooden folding table and a large tray with dishes, each one with a silver cover. He straightened the wooden table out with a quick jerk and set the tray down on top of it.

“Two steaks,” he said placing one plate in front of James and the other in front of Harry. He removed the lids, a wonderful smell greeting Harry’s nose. The steak had been grilled and juice dripped off it. Surrounding the meat was red potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Harry could smell a strong seasoning coming from the meat and vegetables and his mouth began to water.

“The chicken,” the waiter said setting a plate in front of Lily. He removed the lid to reveal a chicken smothered in mashed potatoes, rice, broccoli, and cheese.

“Thank you,” Lily said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Harry added quickly, James following.

“The usual for you,” the waiter said setting Tom’s plate in front of him. He removed the lid to show an assortment of cooked vegetables and what may have been a small piece of steak.

“Thank you,” Tom said bowing his head slightly.

Harry was surprised to see all the different vegetables in Tom’s plate and brown rice on the side. Large mushrooms, colorful chopped onions, carrots, peppers, zucchini, and others Harry wasn’t quite sure of. For some reason, he’d thought Tom would be eating puddings instead of real food for dinner.

“What,” Tom asked catching Harry’s gaze.

“I just…didn’t expect this.”

“A stir fry,” Tom asked raising an eyebrow. “What did you think would be my order?”

“I don’t know,” Harry said. He wasn’t going to tell Tom he thought he’d be ordering puddings.

Another waiter stopped at their table. The first waiter removed the large tray and the second waiter laid the tray down onto the table and then took the empty tray back with her.

“Your hákarl special drizzled with duriana and served with a side of jing leed.” The waiter’s expression turned grim. Tom glared at him and gave a sharp nod. Closing his eyes and backing away fast, the waiter removed the lid. Dudley’s face turned green before anyone else’s did. Petunia let out a small gasp that she seemed immediately to regret and Vernon began coughing.

Harry brought his hand up to cover his mouth and nose. He’d never smelt such an offending smell before in his life. His eyes began to water and he had to force himself not to gag. It seemed they’d accidentally covered Dudley’s food with rotting flesh from a sewer and tried to disinfect it with ammonia. There had to be something dead lurking inside the plate too. When Harry could actually look at the dish, he was surprised that it was just small white and pink cubes drizzled with some yellowish sauce. In choice, places were small pieces of something dark red.

“It is rather smelly, but quite delicious,” Tom said. He seemed to have been the only one who hadn’t started gagging at the stench.

_I’m shocked and I shouldn’t be, _Harry mentally growled.

The smell at least lessened and the waiter approached them once more.

“Your shirako paired with pinyin,” the waiter said. Harry took it as a good sign when the waiter didn’t try to retreat as he removed the lid. Uncle Vernon’s dish smelled, but not nearly as much as Dudley’s. In fact, Harry was more worried about what it looked like rather than its smell. Sitting inside a plate was what Harry could only describe as three small pinkish-white brains. Two black objects sat on each side of the weird-looking foods and a green blob of something adorned the side of the plate.

“Are these brains,” Uncle Vernon asked his face pale.

“No,” Tom said smiling. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Vernon didn’t seem sure of that anymore. He glanced at the waiter who nodded.

“It is not brains.” He removed the last plate and placed it before Aunt Petunia. The woman flinched when the lid came off and closed her eyes. The waiter shook his head as he placed the last lid onto the tray, lifted it up with ease, and with another quick jerk, unfolded the table. He left without another word.

Aunt Petunia’s dish was not nearly as frightening as the other two. Before her was a bowl with some large pieces of meat inside. For some reason, all of it was a dark brown color except for a few vegetables and whatever the black pieces floating around on top were.

“I assure you, they’re quite good,” Tom said. The innocence in his voice didn’t fool Harry. There was no way the food in front of the Dursleys was edible. If it was, it couldn’t taste good. Harry wasn’t even sure he wanted to eat his food with the other things on the table. If nothing else the smell was making it quite difficult to look at his meal.

Petunia finally opened her eyes. She looked relieved to see that her order was a simple stew.

“Well, we should probably all dig in. If our expert here says it’s good…” She eyed the food wearily.

“I’m not eating this,” Dudley said pushing his plate forward.

“Don’t get that near my steak,” James said in surprise. He pushed Dudley’s plate back while moving his own towards Lily.

“I don’t want it,” Dudley shouted. “I wanted the steak!”

“Well you’re not getting mine,” James said.

“Dudley,” Aunt Petunia snapped. The guests around them were beginning to look at them. “You will eat your meal like the rest of us—“

“Why did they get to choose what they wanted,” Dudley demanded. “It’s not fair! I didn’t want this stuff! No one would eat this!” He stood up.

“Sit down,” Uncle Vernon growled. “We’re paying good money for this food and you will enjoy it,” he yelled at his son.

“Then take a bite of yours,” Dudley demanded.

More colored drained from Vernon’s face as he looked at his own plate.

“Wh, what is it,” he asked Tom.

“Fish,” Tom said. “Just fish. It’s a Japanese dish.”

“Japanese, huh?” Uncle Vernon picked up his fork and poked at the brain like object. It jiggled for a second before stopping. He looked at Petunia, his eyes pleading her not to make him eat it. She glared at him and his shoulders dropped. He shoved his fork into one and lifted it off the plate. “Y, you swear, it’s just fish?” The food was in front of his mouth.

“I promise,” Tom said. “It’s just fish.”

Uncle Vernon gave a small nod and popped the brain like food into his mouth. He cringed and then slowly began chewing. Everyone watched him. It took about three minutes before he swallowed.

“If you don’t care for the fishy taste, perhaps dip a tiny bit into the wasabi first? The heat from the horseradish sometimes helps balance it out. It is spicy, however, so be careful."

"A little spice never hurt anyone," Vernon chuckled. Some of his uncle’s confidence had reappeared and he dipped the entire brain looking food into the wasabi. He continued to do this with each item on his plate.

Harry wondered how his uncle's food tasted because he couldn't imagine smothering anything in horseradish the way Vernon was. Tom lifted his hand up to protest, but Vernon had already popped one of the black objects he'd covered in the green sauce into his mouth. His uncle made an odd choking sound. He struggled to keep the food in his mouth, his face turning a horrible purplish red. He spit the food back out seconds later and fell into a coughing fit. 

Harry jumped back, chair and all to avoid being hit with any of the unknown substance.

"Vernon!" Petunia was up rushing to her husband's side. He thrashed about trying to grab his glass of water and instead knocked it over, water spilling everywhere. “Here!” Petunia grabbed her own water and held it up to his lips.

The people around them were once more staring at their table, this time most of them chuckling. The older waiter, Peter, came rushing towards their table, his nostrils flaring, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth a thin line.

"What nonsense are you…." He saw the mess on the table, Vernon desperately drinking the glass of water that Petunia was holding for him, and looked at Tom.

"He had too much wasabi. I did warn him."

Peter sighed rubbing his left temple with his left index finger.

"Your table is disrupting everyone else's dinner! If you were not who you were, I'd have you removed immediately!"

"I am so sorry," Lily said. She had the same look she wore when she apologized to someone about one of James’ pranks. Both very apologetic and strained.

Peter 'hmphed'. 

"No more outbursts! Or I will kick you out myself!!" He glared at each one of them in turn before leaving the table.

“Is that better,” Aunt Petunia whispered to Uncle Vernon. She was rubbing his back gently.

“S, so hot…”

“I did warn him,” Tom whispered leaning back in his chair. He picked up his fork and used it to pop a mushroom into his mouth.

Harry couldn’t stop the smile tugging at his lips and looked down to hide it. If his mother’s family realized he was enjoying this display they’d never forgive him or his mother.

“I want to eat somewhere else,” Dudley mumbled. “I don’t like it here.”

“The staff is rather rude,” Aunt Petunia said glaring at the direction Peter had vanished in. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have trusted the Thompsons,” she seethed. “They gave us a bad restaurant recommendation on purpose!”

“Why don’t all three of you just order something different,” Lily suggested. She had just finished cleaning up the water on the table with her napkin.

The three Dursleys glared at her.

“You would defend this place. It’s probably one of _your _places,” Petunia said coldly.

Uncle Vernon’s eyes widened.

“You don’t think they put something in my food, do you?!” People were shaking their heads now, a lot of them whispering. They’d become the main source of entertainment in the restaurant.

“We should leave,” Petunia said.

“Should we stop at the hospital,” Vernon asked.

“You don’t have to leave, this is a normal restaurant,” Lily protested. “Really, I would have warned you if it wasn’t!”

“I want to get food from somewhere else,” Dudley whined. “I’m hungry.”

“We’re all hungry, for some _good _food,” Aunt Petunia said. “You can pay for this filth.” She motioned to the table with her hand.

“Petunia,” Lily said getting up from her chair. “Please, we can all find another—“

“Just stay away from my family,” she hissed. Lily just stood there for a moment, her shoulders slumping. She looked so sad and Harry began to feel guilty for enjoying the Dursleys’ restaurant experience. They gathered their things and stormed off, Uncle Vernon screaming he wanted to speak with the manager. More and more people began turning towards the table or watching the Dursley family go. Lily’s face turned bright pink.

“I need to use the restroom,” she said quietly and dashed off through the tables.

“I should probably make sure she’s okay,” James said standing up. “Nice work Tom.” He gave the teen an approving grin and then went after his wife.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Tom said, his voice smug.

Harry was torn. He had indeed enjoyed watching Tom ruin the Dursleys’ evening and yet it had caused his mother a great deal of grief. She should have just visited with his aunt when his father and he weren’t around. It hadn’t actually been their fault but had she just gone out with Petunia for lunch, this disaster would have never had a chance to happen.

“What is _that,_” Harry asked pointing to the brain like object. It was sitting on the table now as some horrid centerpiece.

“It is fish,” Tom said snickering. “Just a little different from what most people eat, unless you’re from Japan.”

“So what is it,” Harry repeated. “What’s all of this?” He thought he deserved some sort of explanation. Perhaps he could explain to his mother that Tom had not ordered anything strange, smelly yes, but some foods just were.

“So, hákarl is a dish from Iceland,” Tom explained. “It’s fermented shark, to say the least.”

Harry examined the small cubes from a distance.

“It must ferment for a long time. It smells like something died, they tried to clean it with dirty toilet water, and just gave up.”

“Well, the shark is drained from six to twelve weeks. After that, it’s dried for months. It’s actually not the worst tasting thing in the world.” He shrugged taking another bite of his own food. “People in Iceland eat it all the time.”

“Those people must be crazy,” Harry said shaking his head.

“Well, hákarl smells bad enough. I told them to use durian for the glaze. It’s a very bad smelling fruit.” He pointed to the small cut up red pieces. “And those are cut up fried grasshoppers.” 

Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His cousin had almost eaten rotten shark and fried bugs. It was a shame it’d smelt so bad. Dudley might have actually tried it otherwise. On the other hand, it was probably best that he hadn’t. If his mother ever found out what Tom had ordered from Dudley, she might never let him speak to Tom again.

He blinked a few times, surprised at how much that thought hurt him. It was worse than it’d been the night before. It almost made him sick to his stomach.

“What about the other two,” he asked trying to distract his thoughts. “What did my uncle actually eat?” He could only imagine what Uncle Vernon’s food was if Dudley’s had been rotting fish. Dudley’s had at least looked acceptable, but his uncle’s dish had just been strange.

“Male Cod egg sacks,” Tom said smirking.

“Wh, what?”

“And an over preserved egg.”

“And Aunt Petunia?”

“Rabbit, cooked in its own blood and garnished with spider legs.”

Harry gaped at Tom. He wasn’t sure what was worse, that Tom had ordered the food, or that the restaurant actually kept those things in stock. He’d definitely been wise to stick with the steak. There was no way he’d ever be able to tell his mother what Tom had ordered for the Dursleys. She’d disown both of them.

“All of these items are normal everyday foods in other countries, well. ThehHákarl is sometimes reserved for holidays,” Tom said giving a slight shrug. “But nothing poisonous and nothing truly out of the ordinary.”

“You are horrible,” Harry said grinning.

“Maybe, you seem happy enough and that’s all I’m concerned with.” He set his fork down and took Harry’s left hand in his own. “You’re lucky I found you.”

“How did you find us,” Harry asked lowering his voice. “I tried to leave a message with that girl behind the desk and she told me your room was privacy protected.”

“I had forgotten about that,” Tom sighed. “I woke up around ten and went downstairs to find your room empty. When I realized what had happened I simply used a location finding spell.”

“Unbelievable,” Harry said shaking his head.

“It merely allowed me to prove a very important point. You have no chance at ditching me, so don’t bother trying.” He released Harry’s hand. “And stop looking at other people. Your attention is for me only now.”

His attention only? Was he kidding? No one cared if they had Harry’s attention. Besides, Tom’s attention was much more important. He wanted the other teen to only think about him, but that was never going to happen.

"Why didn't you send an owl?" The question brought with it emotions Harry hadn't even realized he'd been trying to hold in. "I had no idea what was going on. You snogged me and then I woke up and found out you had a privacy request in place. I don't hear from you all day…." 

_Don't cry and stop shaking!_

"Have I not proven to you how much I care?" Tom's confidence was gone. "Do you realize how mad I was when I found out you'd left without me? The fact that I didn't burn the inn down was a miracle and only spared because of Dumbledore." His face was red now and scrunched up. "I couldn't understand how anyone could just leave me like that."

"I didn't want to," Harry said digesting the words. Was Tom actually as insecure as he was? How was that possible? Or, was he just acting? He was a master manipulator. "I wanted to leave a message, but the woman wouldn't let me. She said you couldn't get any owls until the privacy request was lifted." He shook his head. His parents had wanted to leave and Harry had thought Tom had used him. "I had thought once you made out with someone you were done with them and I couldn't get myself to find out if that was the case." There, he'd admitted how much of a coward he was. "I'm sorry."

"What kind of person do you think I am," Tom asked. He looked both mad and surprised. 

"...There are plenty of students I know who will ask other students out as a joke. They date for a few days, sometimes a week, and then end it. They tell the other student it was a joke, that they did it for kicks, that they'd never date _that kind _of person." He gave a small shrug. "You keep going on about previous partners and you're pretty famous, you're handsome. I don't understand why you're even talking to someone as plain as me."

"So, because I'm smart and good looking that makes me an arsehole," Tom demanded, his face now clearly showing disbelief.

"Not just that," Harry said quickly. "You just acted like you were a pureblood sympathizer and most of them are arseholes. You were a jerk in the bookstore and in front of the hotel. We didn't even know each other's names and yet you insisted that you wanted to date me. It just felt like you were trying to see if I was dumb enough to keep believing you. When I found out about the privacy request, I was sure that was the end of all of it. You'd snogged me and since you'd gotten that, you were done with me!" 

Tom released Harry’s hand, his eye narrowing.

“Let me make something very clear. I have had plenty of partners, yes, but none of them would I consider a joke. Not everyone with a brain or a good looking face is an arse, and while you may be plain compared to me, you are not compared to others.” He grabbed Harry’s shirt collar and jerked him forward. “And I may not have met you directly before the award ceremony, but Dumbledore has talked about you quite often. I have had mild interest in you for years, but have never had the chance or the time to meet with you.” He released Harry’s shirt.

Harry’s heart pounded and he sat back in his chair. Why was Dumbledore talking about him at his home? He hadn’t done anything impressive enough to speak with Tom about or to anyone.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I had no idea….”

“Ask before jumping to conclusions,” Tom snapped.

Harry nodded, an uneasy silence settling around them. The Gryffindor wanted to crawl away and hide for the next five years or however long it took for everyone in the restaurant, Tom included, to forget he existed. So, he’d misjudged Tom, to an extent. Tom was an arsehole and a jerk. He might not admit to Harry that he thought any of his previous relationships were jokes, but how could he know for sure?

“Fine.” He stood up and started for the entranceway. He needed a few minutes to himself so he could think things through. He needed to be able to figure out what he was going to do. His mother was going to be furious when she found out about Tom’s intentional wrecking of the dinner and tell him to never speak to Tom again. Tom was mad at him for judging him against the other people his age that Harry actually knew. The only one who wasn’t mad at him was his father. Sirius would understand too, but he wasn’t there.

A thought clicked in Harry’s mind. Sirius indeed was not here, but Harry could always go to him. All he needed to do was get outside and keep walking until he found an owl.

He walked passed the bathrooms; neither of his parents were there. Harry wasn’t sure what that meant, but the host did not stop him when he walked by. He stepped outside, the warm evening air calming him somewhat. At least it wasn’t raining or anything. He would be able to find a way to contact Sirius in good weather.

“Where do you think you’re going,” a voice whispered coldly to him. He felt a wand tip touch his neck and he froze. Was Tom out of his mind?! They were outside of a Muggle restaurant in a Muggle city!

“What is wrong with you,” Harry hissed quietly. “If anyone sees you with that we’ll both get into trouble!”

The wand was jabbed into his neck then.

“Shut up!”

A hand wrapped tightly around Harry’s wrist and then a loud crack. Harry was suddenly being pulled in every single direction at once. Nothing made sense anymore. He couldn’t focus on a single spot, it was like he’d been standing in front of the restaurant and then his consciousness had tried to force itself out of his body. Without warning it stopped. He staggered forward landing on his hands and knees.

“Search him,” a voice ordered.

Before he could react, hands were padding him up and down. When the hands found his pocket, they removed his wand and the two Galleons he’d been keeping on him just in case.

“What are you doing,” he demanded. One of the hands shoved him hard and his face collided with the ground. He groaned, his world spinning again, but thankfully, nothing like it had a few minutes before. Ropes wrapped themselves around his wrists and a set of hands grabbed them. With a harsh tug, Harry was jerked onto his feet.

“Take him into the building.”

Harry started to turn, but another hand jerked his head forward. In front of him stood a huge stone building with tons of windows and a single large door in the middle. It looked like some abandoned castle. The entrance looked like a tower and even had conical spheres on top. Ivy and other plant life had wrapped itself around the outer walls. As they moved, closer Harry noted a giant clock set just below the roof of the entrance. Trees grew on both sides of the muddy path, most of it buried beneath the grass, and in front of the castle itself.

When they entered, Harry’s eyes began to water. The inside looked worse than the outside. From the outside, the castle looked put together, but there were no illusions once you stepped in. A lot of the floor was missing; some parts actually had mud and grass showing through. The staircase, from what he could see of it, had collapsed in on itself in most places. Dust covered almost everything.

“You’ll get to see the Chateau, don’t worry. You’re going to be here a while.” The man started laughing at that.

“What in the hell is the point of this,” Harry demanded, his temper flaring. What could Tom possibly “teach” him with this? Don’t leave him behind, ever? Fine, he’d sit in the next hotel lobby for hours if need be until Tom came and retrieved him. Don’t consider him an arse? It was way too late for that. Tom was beyond an arsehole if this was his way of punishing Harry for something he really had no control over. “You realize my dad is an Auror right? He’s going to arrest you, genius or not,” Harry growled.

“Genius?” The person behind him stepped into view. He was a short bald wizard with a large nose and a couple of boils on his head. He was wearing filthy pants with a shirt just as dirty. “Never been called a genius before.” He grinned and scratched at his bald head.

“W, who in the hell are you,” Harry asked his eyes widening.

“I’m Mather,” the short wizard said.

“Are you working with him!?”

“With Brian, yeah,” Mather said grinning. He was missing a few teeth. “Bet you didn’t think we’d find you so fast!”

“Who’s Brian,” Harry asked now at a complete loss. “Did Tom hire you?”

“Don’t know a Tom,” Mather said. He used his free arm to run under his nose and wipe it. Harry had to stop himself from gagging. “Brian be mad if I don’t get you to the kitchen!” He moved behind Harry and shoved him forward again.

The kitchen turned out to be as bad looking as the rest of the house. The only difference was, this room had all of its floor. Mather pulled Harry towards a spot in the middle of the room. He could make out a metal loop hanging from the wall. When they were standing next to it, Mather removed his wand from his pocket and tapped the ropes. The rope twisted and stretched wrapping around the metal loop and solidifying. The rope around Harry’s arms also melted into itself before forming into shackles.

“If you don’t know Tom, why are you even doing this,” Harry demanded.

Mather laughed. It sounded like a mix between a donkey and a hyena.

“Don’t you know who we are,” Mather asked.

“If I did I wouldn’t be asking,” Harry said glaring at the wizard.

Another form, this one taller, walked into the room.

“You’re both quite noisy,” the wizard said. As he came into view, Harry was annoyed that he still didn’t know who either of these people were. This newcomer was much better looking and at least wearing clean clothes. Harry recognized the voice as the one who’d held a wand to his neck. “Welcome to your new temporary home,” the man, said throwing his arms into the air and smiling at harry. He approached Harry, the smile never leaving his face. “You have to tell me, what does it feel like to be kidnapped thanks to your father?”

“Huh?” Harry stared at the wizard in front of him, then at Mather. Kidnapped? He’d been kidnapped? Okay sure, he’d been stopped at wand point and side along apparated, but kidnapped? And because of his father? His father had, had him kidnapped? Why would he do that?

“You seem confused. Do you not recognize me,” the taller wizard asked.

“Why would my father want me kidnapped,” Harry asked.

“…perhaps you hit your head a bit too hard when we arrived.” He sighed shaking his head. “This is for revenge, and ransom money,” the wizard explained. “Your father got us sent to Azkaban and we plan on returning the favor. We can’t get him sent to Azkaban, but we can make him feel as helpless as we did.”

_My father doesn’t get people sent, he sends them for doing shite like this, _he thought sighing himself now. So, this was it. His last few days alive had been one long string of unlucky events leading up to him being kidnapped at a restaurant. Well, at least he couldn’t say he didn’t have an interesting ending. He’d been forgotten, somehow caught the eye of the teen genius Tom Riddle, and had watched his mother’s family be embarrassed and pressured into eating strange foods. He’d managed to lose Tom’s interest by judging him by normal standards. They could write a book or make a movie out of the last few days of his life.

“Did he die,” Mather asked worriedly. “We won’t get the ransom money if he’s dead!”

“I know that,” the taller wizard said rolling his eyes. He straightened up. “You’re going to be here for a while; you might as well sit down.” 

Harry did as he was told. There was no point in causing them any trouble at this point. They had his wand and until they announced to his family that they had him, no one would be looking for him.

“When are you going to tell them,” Harry asked.

“We’re going to let them worry a while, and then we’ll tell them,” the wizard said.

“Could you not wait,” Harry asked.

“And pass up the chance of seeing them frantically searching for you,” the wizard asked with a laugh. “I think not!”

“No really…they probably won’t even know I’m missing until you bring it to their attention. My parents haven’t exactly been keeping tabs on me.”

“You expect me to believe your parents won’t notice you’re missing?”

Harry grimaced at that. His mother was probably still crying over his Aunt Petunia and his father would be busy trying to console her. Tom had probably left the restaurant shortly after he had, so when his parents returned and saw both Tom and Harry gone, they’d just assume the two had run off together. His mother may even be mad that he’d “chosen Tom over them” and tell his father not to bother. They could go to Switzerland without him.

He could feel the blood draining from his face, his energy depleting. No one was going to come looking for him until school started and he didn’t show up. Even if Sirius asked about him, his parents would just tell him he skipped town with his new boyfriend.

A groan escaped his lips and he dropped his head. This was a great situation he’d gotten himself into. At least this wizard intended on telling his parents they had him eventually.

“You really don’t think they’ll notice,” the taller wizard said in slight awe.

“Hogwarts will tell them I never showed up,” Harry said. “So if you could do it before that…”

“Brian…do you think he’s trying to fool us,” Mather asked.

“It doesn’t matter; we’ll be holding him for the next week or two before informing his parents. So you can say whatever you wish, but until then, you’ll be here with us.” He turned his back on Harry and strode out of the room. Mather glanced back at Harry before chasing after Brian.

Harry watched them go. Well. He’d managed to ditch his parents and Tom just like he’d thought, though he hadn’t dreamt of doing it in this manner. He wouldn’t have to deal with any of them for another week at least. And, if he was going to be staying for a week, they’d have to feed him.

He should have never angered Tom. He could have used that location spell he’d used before to find Harry again.

Not once had Harry ever thought that his father’s profession would eventually get him kidnapped. Sirius and his father were great at their job. They sometimes ran into a nasty witch or wizard, but his father had never mentioned any particularly bad ones. The name Brian hadn’t come up in any of his father’s recent letters. Mather hadn’t either. He couldn’t remember Sirius mentioning the two either. It didn’t really matter. Whoever they were, they’d caught him.

_I’m such an idiot._

**(TBC)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, everyone, thank you so much for your support and all of the wonderful reviews and favorites (kudos). I appreciate it so much.  
Warnings: This story is shonen-ai, yaoi, slash, gay, whatever term you’re familiar with.  
Notes: (X) Is pov change and or time jump  
Note 2: Forgive me. I finished the chapter and then realized if I went with it, it would turn this story into an adventure story rather than what it was. I apologize for the delay since I had to rewrite the entire thing. 
> 
> I'm already working on Chapter 7 and it should be up fast and also, not a full blown adventure chapter. Sorry if you don't like this one.

Chapter 6

"You weren't joking, were you kid?" Brian threw the Daily Prophet down in front of Harry. It hit the ground hard, dust particles shimmering in the sunbeams. He let out a cough. It was followed by five more, each one worse than the last. His mouth was dry and the kitchen was full of dust and what he was sure was mold in some places. He was going to get sick if he stayed here long.

Harry had been in the decaying castle going on three days now. He'd come to a single conclusion. The only thing his captors were good at was hiding. 

"I told you, they think I've run off with a friend they don't want me to hang out with so they don't even know I'm missing." He'd tried numerous times to explain the situation to these fools, but he had a better chance at the crumbling walls around him to grasp the situation. "If you'd just tell them you've kidnapped me, you could cause the panic you want and we can get this entire ordeal over with!" He glared at them wishing they'd just announce it. No one would know he was actually missing until they did. 

"Brian...the kid might have a point. His parents don't seem worried that he's not with them in Switzerland."

"Shut up!"

_They went to Switzerland without me!? _He sighed leaning his head against the weak wall. _Of course, they did. They think I'm off rebelling and snogging my boyfriend. _A boyfriend he didn't even have anymore, but Tom probably hadn't told anyone about their fight. Or, no one that would alert his parents that he was in fact not with Tom, but two complete morons who deserved to be sent right back to Azkaban. While they were at it, they could start Harry in year one at Hogwarts so he could learn not to be stupid and be caught by people like this. _It'll be fine, _he told himself. Somehow, things would work out. His family would pay the ransom, his kidnappers would go to jail, and he would be going straight to Sirius's house and never leaving it again. 

"Look I haven't even gotten a single owl! No one knows I'm missing!" He knew saying it again was pointless, but he kept hoping all the same. His plight seemed to be sinking in for Mather, so maybe in a few more days, Brian would too. He hoped.

"Right about that too. No one has tried contacting him," Mather said matter of factly and looked at Harry. "You're not a real popular guy, are you?"

"No I am not," Harry said through gritted teeth. He’d had no idea just how unpopular he actually was among his supposed family and friends, but now that he knew, he couldn't wait to go find new ones. It was not his fault that Tom had ruined the dinner. He couldn't help his mother's side of the family were arseholes. And, most of all, he just wanted to be out of this stupid, moldy, dust infested, castle! "I'm glad my summer holiday has proven how unloved I am and I'm so glad I got to share that experience with you both, really. But, I want out of this place so just tell them already! Double the ransom to make up for their lack of panic so I can move on with my life!" 

It wasn't easy accepting this hard truth and it was even more humiliating that it took these fools to kidnap him for him to find out. He'd always been under the assumption that his family would love him no matter what. They could have at least tried to send an owl. If they cared even a bit, they'd have sent him a letter explaining how disappointed they were in his decision. Something, but no. Nothing. From anyone. A complete misunderstanding and he’d been excommunicated from his entire family over it!

"Doubling the ransom sounds good," Mather said. "Could buy a lot of stuff."

"Let me think about it," Brian snapped. He turned his back on the two and stormed out of the room. 

"Ugh!" Harry dropped his head onto his knees.

"Now, now. It ain't all been bad, right? We've been treating you well. I bring you three meals a day," Mather said proudly.

"Yes, you do," Harry said tiredly. "And they're very good meals, thank you, Mather. I'm just frustrated."

"Aw, no worries. My family didn't care much for me either," Mather laughed. "No big deal. I'll go make some eggs," he said cheerfully. 

Harry watched him go, horrified that Mather was comparing him to himself. Harry was not the brightest person in the world, obviously or he wouldn't be stuck in this mess, but his intelligence was hundreds of times better than Mather's. 

He looked down at The Daily Prophet and lifted it. After the first evening, they'd repositioned his arms so they were in front of him instead of behind his back. Did they really think even if anyone knew he was kidnapped that it'd be reported in The Daily Prophet? Harry wasn't important enough to end up in the paper. He wasn't popular period with anyone. That much was obvious and depressing. He sighed. It didn't really even matter that he'd been kidnapped. 

The real question was, what should he do once he got away? He wanted to go to Sirius's house and stay there until the end of his vacation, but even Sirius hadn't tried writing him to ask what was going on or to yell at him for vanishing. His friends hadn't written and his parents definitely hadn't. 

"What a joke," he muttered looking around the room. All those years of his parents claiming they loved him. Well, this definitely proved otherwise. At least Tom had a good reason. He was pissed at Harry for judging him. They didn't know each other anyway; he couldn't hold a grudge against him, but his friends? His supposed family? It was just too much. 

He dropped his head against the wall. Where was he even supposed to go? Maybe he should just stay with Mather and Brian. They were constantly making sure Harry was exactly where he was supposed to be. Sure, it was for the ransom, but maybe once it was all over they could be friends. 

Scowling he stretched out on the floor, his arms beneath his head, his eyes gazing at the ceiling. He could get a job. As long as he had money, he could get a room in Diagon Alley. The only problem was, what kind of job did he qualify for? He didn't even know what O.W.L.S. he'd achieved. Maybe he could write to Dumbledore and ask him to tell any potential employer if he was a good candidate or not? 

_If he'll even read anything I send. _Depending on what Tom had told the headmaster, he might go out of his way to try to find some way to get Harry expelled. 

Harry paled, the blood draining from his body. If he didn't finish his schooling he wouldn't be able to become an Auror. He wouldn't be able to do much of anything. His possible summer job might end up as his future "career". 

It hadn't even occurred to him that he shouldn't anger Tom, because of the possible repercussions from Dumbledore. On the other hand, they'd only known each other for a few days. There was a chance Tom wouldn't consider Harry worth the effort to retaliate. Hell, he'd no doubt forgotten Harry even existed by now. Harry didn't care what Tom claimed. There was no way Tom didn't judge others. He might not date people as a cruel joke, but he wasn't innocent.

He sat up and growled. It wasn't like he'd wanted to be kidnapped! He didn't want the illusion that others cared about him to fade. He wanted to believe that the people he cared about cared for him in return. That a stupid misunderstanding wasn't enough to destroy what few relationships he had. 

"You're making a lot of noise," Mather said coming into the room. He was holding a small plate with eggs and toast on it. 

"Just mad," Harry said quietly. 

Mather handed Harry the plate. 

"You shouldn't be mad. Brian's a pro at kidnapping."

"Yeah…" 

"Eat up, you'll feel better. In the meantime, I'll go talk to Brian about telling your parents you were nabbed."

"Okay." 

"Good!"

Mather whacked Harry hard on the back, the Gryffindor falling forward. He stopped short of hitting his food or the floor. He gave Harry a huge grin, one that showed he was missing plenty of his teeth.

“You’re a good kid.” He walked out of the room humming, Harry watching.

_I don’t want to hear that from you! _Those were words his parents were supposed to say, that Sirius was supposed to say, not some idiot who’d kidnapped him. No, his life wasn’t supposed to be this way. One chance encounter with a single person shouldn’t hurtle your life into a complete disaster. _No…_ Things had been going wrong before Tom had shown up.

He lifted the plate into his lap and grabbed the fork. Mather wasn’t the best cook in the world, but he wasn’t bad either. Harry would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his mother’s cooking though. He ate his breakfast in silence. It would probably be a while before either of his captors returned. They often left him unattended for hours on end each day and he didn’t see why today would be any different. He set the plate down when he finished and stared at the window. He couldn’t see out of it, but it at least gave him an idea of whether it was day or night.

_I want my family back…and Tom…_

How had he lost them all in a single go? He wasn’t a bad person, not really. He knew worse people. So why did his family have to assume the worse about him? If they’d just let him write a letter to his parents or any of his friends so they could at least know what happened to him, maybe they’d take pity on him.

But, did he want it?

He wanted to feel loved again and to be around those who were supposed to care about him, but now that he knew the truth…

“What am I even supposed to do,” he demanded and let out a growl of frustration. He slammed his fists down onto the floor as hard as he could.

_SMASH_

Harry jumped, his eyes bulging. Lying beside him was the metal piece that’d been shoved into the wall to hold him in place. He stared at it for half a minute before getting to his feet.

_So, they reinforced the metal…but, not the wall holding it, _he thought shaking his head. No wonder the two wizards had ended up in Azkaban. The entire castle was crumbling around them and they hadn’t even had the sense to fix the wall or attach the chains to a sturdy location. On the other hand, this worked perfectly for him.

He picked up the metal circle looking around the room. He’d never make it to the window let alone out of it. He probably had a better chance of kicking the wall in. He climbed to his feet and walked towards the doorway. He poked his head out and listened. There were no sounds beyond the settling of the house, possible pieces of it falling, and faintly, some birds chirping. He crept into the hall, stopping again to listen. The floorboards hadn’t creaked. He wasn’t sure if he should make a run for the entrance or try and find a back door. There was no guessing where his captors slept or if they even, stayed in the castle. The chances of there being a hole in some wall he could just climb out of was good too. If only he had his wand.

The front door was probably the smartest choice. He knew it where it was and it was close. Probably the quickest way out too. Looking for another way out might lead him directly to his kidnappers. Stupid as they seemed, they’d had enough sense to ambush him right outside of the restaurant.

_If only Tom had chased after me, _he thought. He couldn’t blame Tom for not going after him. He’d angered him quite a bit, but these idiots wouldn’t have gotten away with jumping him if Tom had come after him, even if it was to yell at him. _Well, it doesn’t matter now. I just need to get out of here. _He tested each step, making sure nothing broke under his weight, stepping on the grass when he could.

It felt like an hour had passed by the time he reached the front door, but he managed to get there without making any sounds. He gave one more quick look around, transferred the metal circle into one hand and pulled on the door. He cringed at the sound the door made as it shook in place.

_They actually locked it_!? He cursed hearing some noises from above and turned back to the door. The house was falling apart, why was the door sturdy? He frantically began looking over the door handle, his eyes falling onto the small metal leaver under the lock. _There’s no way…_ He pushed the leaver down with his thumb and index finger and was rewarded with the sound of a deadbolt sliding out of its home.

He pulled the door open, stepped out, and closed it quietly behind him. With any luck, they would check the kitchen first and then the door. He placed the chains over his shoulder and the metal loop into his pocket before he took off running into the dense trees around him. Harry had never heard of a locating spell on humans until Tom had mentioned it, so hopefully the idiot wizards he’d left behind didn’t know about it either.

Once again, Harry was faced with the problem of where he should go. One quick look around showed the only thing around him was dense forest. 

_Worry about it later. _He took off into the trees. The brilliant sunlight that'd been shining seconds ago vanished. The inside of the forest was dim with only small breaks of light making it to the ground below. There wasn't any sort of path either. Vegetation grew everywhere, trees, bushes, moss, and grass. Harry ran through it all. When he was farther into the woods, he slowed down just enough to start going around the smaller bushes and make his trail harder to follow. 

_I wonder if I'm around anything…. _He jogged on checking his surroundings as he went. Maybe he'd finally have some good luck and his captors would think he was still in the castle. Crumbling or not, if they checked the entire building first, he'd have a good hour or two start. 

_And then…?_

Then he didn't know. He'd gotten away, but his situation wasn't exactly better. In fact, if he really thought about it, it was worse. His wand was still trapped in the castle and even if he did have it, who could he contact? His parents would come and get him if he managed to send a letter and they read it. He knew that they'd feel bad for perceiving the situation so wrong. But, that didn't justify how they'd reacted either. Unless maybe they were just trying to give him some space?

_They would give me space the one time I don't need it, h_e thought with a groan. Still, the thought made him smile slightly. Maybe his family hadn't disowned him, they were just trying to give him some private time with his "new boyfriend", the one he didn't actually have. He at least felt like he could write them though. On the other hand, he had no possible way to write them. 

He stopped giving the trees a good look over. Should he go any further? Maybe turning back would be the smart choice. His captors were keeping him fed and dry, and Brian might have finally decided to send a ransom note to his family or at least give them a heads up that Harry had been kidnapped with further information to be presented later. The idea of remaining at those two idiots mercy though….

"Better not," he said quietly moving on. No, this wasn't the best choice, but staying just didn't sit well with him. There had to be a building or a person somewhere. Right?

**(X)**

_Should probably just stay here, _Harry thought slumping onto the ground. His body had, had it. It was sore and demanded rest. The shackles had cut into his wrist ever so slightly and both shoulders now had bruises on them. He was pretty sure his feet were swollen too. The sun was beginning to set and not for the first time, he wished he’d just stayed at the decrypted castle. The only good thing that had happened so far was this place. The small clearing contained a small pond and some wild strawberry bushes growing around it, so he wouldn’t starve. Still, the whole ordeal was getting frustrating. Why hadn’t Sirius written him back yet? Or, Ron or Hermione? Couldn’t Draco have gotten a sudden urge to write Harry about utter nonsense? Some random student from school? A stranger?

He let out a long sigh and grabbed a handful of strawberries from the nearby bush. He put one into his mouth and bit down, wincing at the bitterness of it. Given the denseness of the forest, it wasn’t any surprise that the strawberries still hadn’t managed to ripen all the way. It was, however, still something to eat.

_I wonder what everyone else is doing…probably having a good time. _He glared at the strawberries then and started to chew another one. His friends were probably having a great start to their holiday vacation. Sirius might have gotten stuck at work, so that could be why he wasn’t writing Harry, but his parents? They were in Switzerland without him! They couldn’t have even sent word that they were going? If they were going to write that left him with two people. Draco and Tom. Draco’s father didn’t quite approve of the two of them writing to each other and Tom…

He laughed at the thought. The one person who could put a quick end to this entire mess had probably found a new boyfriend before he’d left the restaurant.

“How do I get into these situations,” he asked half-laughing, half-groaning. Nothing like this ever happened at Hogwarts. Sure, he got beat up during Quidditch matches, and he’d gotten into a fight once or twice with Draco’s goons, but that had been the extent of it. He tried to follow most of the rules and did his best not to be caught when he didn’t. “Oh well…”

He lied his head down on the ground.

“I miss my family,” he said even if he was angry with them for all this. “And Tom,” he said knowing how stupid that was. No matter how anyone looked at it, he didn’t know Tom. That didn’t stop his heart from racing the second he thought about him, but it was what it was. How could he expect someone he had a crush on for a few days and a single snogging session with to be held responsible for his wellbeing? That was not only unfair but also completely crazy. No, he needed to figure a way out of this by himself. He was on his own, he would survive, and the second he got home, he was going to ask Draco out because, for some reason, that seemed like the most reasonable thing for him to do right now.

“And I’ll give him all my attention Tom,” he spat before smirking. He was being completely childish and he knew it. Still, he’d make sure Dumbledore knew Draco and him were together so he could “accidentally” pass it on to Tom. Would it make the other teen jealous? Probably not, but Harry could pretend and hopefully, Draco and him could have a decent relationship, a real one. At least they knew each other.

_Who are you kidding? Draco doesn’t even like guys, _he scolded himself. Even if he did, Draco would never go against his father’s wishes. Not while he was still alive. And, if he really thought about it, starting a relationship with someone in order to make someone else jealous was wrong. No, he’d have to find someone else. Someone he actually liked.

An owl hooted from a nearby tree and Harry sat up fast. Had he been saved? He waited for it to come down to him, but it made no effort to do so. Instead, it remained in the tree and soon enough was answered by other hoots in different trees.

Scowling Harry lied back down and rolled onto his side.

**(X)**

“Stop it…” Harry muttered. Someone or something was jabbing his arm. He didn’t want to open his eyes. If he kept them closed, he could pretend he was still at home in his bed or at the Cat’s Tail. Anywhere, but lost in some unknown forest. He knew he was of course. He could feel the dew from the grass wetting his clothes and the cold mud on his arms, but remaining in denial was his choice and one he planned to take advantage of.

“OW!” He jerked up because the jabbing had turned into a full-blown bite. He pulled his arm up examining the red mark. The skin hadn’t been broken, but it would bruise badly. “What is wrong with you,” he demanded of the owl standing next to him. It was looking at him curiously, almost innocent, and before the fact that there was an owl standing next to him set in, it lunged forward and bit his leg. “HEY!” He grabbed the owl, or tried. Instead, a hiss escaped his mouth and both arms fell to his side. The chains were too heavy, his wrists throbbing. There was no way he’d be able to catch the stupid bird. “I’m not dead, go eat someone else.” He turned his back to the bird trying to rub his wrists and think of some way to deal with them when he felt something ram into his back. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” He’d never met this particular owl and never heard of one that flat out attacked people.

He turned just in time to see a note attached to the bird’s leg, his eyes widening. Someone had finally written to him! He was spared. Soon he’d been out of the shackles and more importantly the forest. He’d climb into a hot shower and spend the next three hours under its wonderful healing powers and then in a bed where no one better bother him for the next month besides Sirius and Remus because he was done with the rest of the world.

“If you’re trying to give me the letter, let me have it,” he said holding his hand out. The owl once again looked at him, studied him, and tried to attack his fingers. Harry managed to save his hand by moving his whole body back. “Are you rabid or something?!” The owl screamed at him as if it understood the insult. “I’m in a horrible mood,” he screamed back. “I got kidnapped and now I’m lost in some woods! If you’re not here to help then go away!” The owl turned, spread its wings out, and started to take off.

Somehow, Harry managed to jump and land on the bird. The owl let out a horrible screech, but Harry got the letter off its leg. It wrestled itself out of Harry’s arms and flew up into the trees, but Harry had gotten the letter, he’d won. Satisfied he sat down and opened up the envelope.

‘I have never, _never _had anyone treat or judge me the way you have and apologize only to leave and then have the nerve to charm yourself from accepting letters! For every hour you ignore me, this owl has been instructed to pay you back for the damage you’ve caused once it catches up with you! This isn’t over!’

Harry paled slightly running his fingers over the words. They’d not been simply written on the parchment, they’d been engraved. When he turned the parchment over, he could see that Tom had managed to dig the quill in just short of ripping it through.

“Okay, I need a way to reply,” he said looking around. Mud would be his best option. If he did it right, he could use his finger to write, let it dry, and then throw the bird out of the woods. He only had one piece of parchment to work with so he needed to be careful. He took a small handful of water and splashed it onto some of the dirt. It couldn’t be too wet and he couldn’t write it with actual mud, because it’d crumble once it dried then. It took Harry well over an hour to construct his simple message, but he managed.

He reread it one final time to make sure it would work.

‘I didn’t leave or ignore you; these two wizards kidnapped me when I went outside for air. Just use your tracking spell and find me so I can get out of this forest!’

Perhaps not the most elegant letter he’d ever written, but he was desperate. He stood up trying to find the owl that’d been attacking him.

“Get down here,” he yelled at the treetops. “This is really important! Your owner is mad at me and I didn’t do anything wrong! You have to give him this letter!”

The owl swooped down glaring at Harry now.

Sighing Harry set the letter down on the ground and backed away from it. Yes, the owl had deserved every bit it got and more, but he needed to be mature. The letter needed to get to Tom, even if he was terrified at what the teen might do once he found Harry. If the gouged out writing in the parchment was of any indication, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

The owl gave a loud screech when he was far enough away, snatched the letter and flew off.

“I hope that stupid bird delivers that.” As angry as he was at the owl, he realized it was only following Tom’s orders. Of which, hadn’t Tom mentioned a no mail charm? His kidnappers must have placed one around the castle, but then why had it taken so long for Tom’s owl to reach him? A day had passed since he’d gotten away from the castle and the owl arrived. Just how far away from Little Whinging was he? And, why hadn’t Brian or Mather told him there was an anti-mail charm in place?

_Those two are such idiots…_

Wherever he was, it seemed to be a great distance from Tom, because the owl didn’t return until the sun had begun to set again. The owl landed on one of the highest branches and dropped the letter out of its beak. The letter slowly drifted towards the ground taking its time. Harry was about to scream when it finally reached his hands. He pulled the letter open, a little disappointed that Tom had not shown up behind the owl, but at least he’d gotten a response. A part of him had feared he wouldn’t.

He read the letter. Read it again. A third time, any happy thoughts he’d been holding onto crumbling along with his soul.

‘Yeah, sure you were. Writing with mud was a nice touch.’

“He…he didn’t believe me?!” He threw the parchment onto the ground locking eyes with the owl. “Didn’t you tell him I was stuck in the middle of nowhere!?” So, that was it. Tom didn’t believe him. Well, forget it then. Using the same technique he’d used earlier that morning he crafted a second letter.

‘You told me not to judge you, but you are an arse. Forget it. I’ll find my own way home. Don’t expect me to ever forgive you for this. All you had to do was use that spell to locate me to see I’m not lying.’

He threw the letter onto the ground and walked away from it. If Tom wasn’t coming to save him and it sure looked like no one else would be writing him any time soon, he needed to keep moving. He’d lost an entire day of walking, sitting in the same spot expecting Tom to show up and rescue him. He filled his pockets with the wild strawberries he’d been eating throughout the day, took a drink from the pond and started walking. Maybe it was stupid, it was getting darker and soon enough he wouldn’t be able to see anything around, but he needed to get out.

**(X)**

The next morning Harry took began walking again. Hours in he had to stop to make sure, he wasn’t seeing things. The woods had thinned out. He ran towards the exit ignoring all the pain in his body and had to scramble to stop himself at the last minute. He let out a breath and sat down. He’d finally made it out. He was free of the woods. Before him was a gigantic sprawling meadow with tons of hills and what he prayed was a village or some kind of house in the middle of it. It had to be, but first, he needed to find a way down. He looked over the edge he’d nearly toppled over and frowned. There was no way he could climb down that drop. Not with the condition, his wrists were in.

He examined his surroundings to the left and then to the right. While the ground did slop down, it wasn’t enough to get him off the hill or whatever he was on. He looked back at the forest frowning. He didn’t want to go back in. Even if he stayed just inside the tree line, he’d had enough of the trees. At least out here, it was warm and the sun could hit his face.

Sighing he looked over the edge again. Maybe if he was really careful he could make it to the bottom without killing himself.

“…because my luck has been so good this holiday,” he growled. Muttering a curse, he walked back into the forest keeping the meadow in his sight. He was under no illusion that some force was trying to kill him or at the very least, make his life miserable. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this kind of a holiday, but he was getting it and wasn’t going to push what little luck he did have.

It took a great deal of maneuvering before he finally got to level ground with the meadow. Now that he was there, he couldn’t even see the village. Hopefully, he hadn’t been seeing things.

“You can do this,” he told himself. “They’ll have real food and a bath.” He started walking, cursing all of his bad luck thus far. Why hadn’t Sirius written at all? He remembered the no mail charm and groaned. Anyone who’d tried to send him a letter while with his kidnappers would have had their letters returned and they’d figure there was no point in trying again. The only reason Tom had kept the owl going after him had been sheer stubbornness.

And, so he walked. He walked despite all the pain in his legs and his anger at Tom and the rest of his family for getting him in this situation. Maybe Dumbledore would let him stay at Hogwarts over the summer next year. That or he’d hide at Sirius’ house, because he could not take any more of this.

He’d been walking a good while when the deranged owl showed back up. It flew right in front of Harry’s face and spat the letter at him. He brought his hands up in an attempt to block the letter, but he was moving too slow. It hit him in the face. The owl took off and settled down on a nearby hill.

“What does your idiot owner want,” Harry demanded. He ripped open the envelope and pulled out the parchment.

‘So…I sent a letter to your father asking him if you were with him because the location spell showed you were on the border of Aisne and France and not in Switzerland with your family.’

“I’m in France,” Harry repeated. He’d been walking for hours and there was no telling how long ago Tom had used the spell. So, he was either there or in Belgium. He wasn’t quite happy about being in either.

‘Your parents thought you were with me. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. Just don’t get caught again.’

The letter ended there. What was he supposed to do with this information? You’re in France, good luck?

“Well at least my parents know I’m missing and will hopefully come find me,” he sighed. There was no mud to reply to Tom’s letter, but the house or village he’d seen from the cliff might have a pen. The owl glared at him as he started slowly making his way. It screeched at him when it realized he wasn’t going to stop and dive-bombed at his head only to fly clear of Harry’s hands. “I don’t have anything to write with!” The bird didn’t seem to care. It dived at him again, this time landing on one of the shackles. It managed to grip on. “Let go! I can’t do anything until I get a pen!”

The owl glared at him and bit down on his hand.

Screaming Harry grabbed the owl and threw it off. It managed to remain upright, beating its wings, and yelled again. Harry inspected his hand. It was bleeding now and he realized the stupid arse bird had bitten him on purpose.

“You want a reply,” he demanded. He used his finger to write a one-sentence letter back to Tom from his cut. “I HATE your bird!” He dropped the letter hoping the owl would dive bomb and break its beak on the ground and held his hand close to his chest. The only thing that had been bleeding before the bird had gotten involved had been his wrists and they were more chapped at the constant rubbing from the shackles than actually wounded. All the other bruises and scratches he’d acquired hadn’t bled, but the bird…that bird…. He gave it the darkest glare he could manage when he saw it fly off.

It was well into the night when Harry stumbled into the village, if that’s what you could call it. He could only see four candles lit in what he guessed were windows. If not for those and the sudden well-worn path under his feet, he might have kept walking. 

_I did it, _he thought grinning. _I got to the village. _The problem was the sun had set some time ago and he doubted anyone was awake or would be pleased if he woke them up. He noted a larger structure to the side of the house with candles, but he doubted it was an inn. The chances of this place having any real commodities seemed unlikely.

He sagged to the ground against the large building and closed his eyes. He was in a town at least. There were others here. He would be safe and soon his parents would show up and save him. Maybe, maybe he’d forgive Tom since he’d used the locating spell like Harry had asked and had shortened his time dwelling in whatever country he was actually in.

**(X)**

“Un criminel.” A criminal. Harry felt one of his legs get kicked. “Voir les chaînes?” See the shackles?

“Oui! Oui!” Yes! Yes!

A chorus of voices surrounded Harry, each of them raising in pitch as they spoke. He opened his eyes to a group of maybe twelve or so people, both men and women, looking down at him. When he tried to get up one of the men kicked him again.

“HEY!”

“Toi! Criminel! Ne bouge pas!” You! Criminal! Don’t move! He kicked Harry yet again, the teen glaring at him. He had no idea what was going on, but he hated that he hadn’t taken the time to learn French. He understood the word oui, and it sounded like they were calling him a criminal, but that was it.

_How do I explain I’m not a criminal, _he wondered his thoughts racing. He was a victim, he’d been kidnapped! The criminals were still in that crumbling castle!

“No! I’m not a criminal,” he protested. “Someone kidnapped me! I escaped!”

The group of people looked at each other, each one of them whispering urgently. The one who’d kicked him stepped forward and grabbed the chains jerking Harry up. Harry bit the inside of his mouth refusing to scream. When the pain subsided, he tried again.

“I’m not a criminal!” What had they been saying? “No criminel!” The man jerked him again, Harry staggering forward. The pain was beginning to make him dizzy. The man dragged him along and opened a door to a building, then shoved him inside. Harry fell onto the ground with a thud, his vision swimming. All he could make out was that there was hay beneath him. He closed his eyes.

**(X)**

“Hey.” Harry woke up to a rough shake of his shoulder. “Kid.”

Harry blinked awake and frowned. His back was killing him now. Somehow, the hard floor had been worse than the dirt outside. He managed to sit up and glared at the guy in front of him. He was pretty sure he hadn’t been among the group who’d accused him of being a criminal and thrown him in here, but Harry had been dragged away so fast he couldn’t be sure.

“I know you speak English. We need to talk before the police arrive.”

“Police,” Harry mouthed his eyes widening. “How long will that take?”

“About a day,” the man said giving Harry a small smile. “So it is best if you tell your story now. What are you doing out here?”

“These two guys grabbed me from a restaurant,” Harry said making sure to alter the story just enough. If it was going to take a day for the police to arrive, they weren’t part of the magical community. “They had me in this castle, it was falling apart, but I managed to escape. I’ve been walking through the forests for the last few days! I’m not a criminal!”

“You do look like you have been through a lot,” the man chuckled. He grabbed one of Harry’s wrists and held it up. “That is going to get infected if we do not get these off.”

“If you can, please,” Harry said too tired to fight. Physically he wasn’t too bad, but his mind had just had it. It no longer wanted to be a part of this world anymore. It wanted to run and hide in the dreamscape. “I’m only fifteen; I’ll be sixteen in about a month. I’m not a criminal.”

“Why did they take you,” the man asked.

“To get ransom money from my father,” Harry said. He couldn’t add the part about revenge or his dad being an Auror.

The man raised an eyebrow at that.

“You have enough money to get kidnapped, but not enough to get a tutor to learn French?”

“It never came up,” Harry said almost sobbing now. “If you get me back to my parents safely I’ll learn French!” He meant it too. He wanted to know what Tom had said at the restaurant and he might have avoided getting thrown in the local prison if he could have explained himself. _Maybe. _There was always the chance they wouldn’t have believed him anyway since he must look like an escaped criminal.

“I cannot let you out,” the man said. “But we will get the shackles off and we will clean your wrists.”

“How are you going to get them off,” Harry asked. He doubted there was a one key fits all for shackles.

“Hammer,” the man said smoothly.

Harry stared at the man. He was going to bash the shackles off with a hammer?

“You know my wrists are under the shackles, right,” he asked weakly.

“Only way to do it, we do not have a key.”

The man managed to release Harry from the shackles quite easily. A few strokes with a hammer and a chisel placed in the right spot had them falling off without pain. Harry tried to grab at his wrists, but the man yelled at him to stop. He poured some water over Harry’s wrists and then some peroxide. Both made Harry want to cry, but he kept himself together. When he was done, he wrapped both of Harry’s wrists in bandages.

“Thanks,” Harry said examining the bandages. It looked like a doctor had wrapped them.

“I am going to get you some food. I am guessing those wild strawberries have not been filling you up.”

The man stepped out of the door and Harry heard the sound of a bolt lock turning. Well, he was saved. It didn’t matter if his parents showed up first or the police, they’d take him back to a city, get him back to his parents, and he’d bid them farewell and use Floo Powder to go to Sirius’s. He might even place that no mail charm on afterwards.

He rested against the wall in the pile of hay. Things were starting to look up. This would all be over with soon. He wasn’t sure if he should forgive Tom completely now that he was saved. Yes, for some stupid reason he still had a crush on him, but after he’d accused Harry of lying about being kidnapped? Who lied about that sort of thing?

The door opened, the man coming back in. He was holding a plate with a sandwich on it and some fruits and vegetables. Harry’s mouth began watering at the sight of it.

“It is not much,” the man said. He handed Harry the plate and set down a flask of water beside him. “Eat slow; we will serve you dinner later in the day.”

“I can’t promise that,” Harry said biting into the sandwich. He devoured the entire thing in three bites. The man stared at him and shook his head.

“Do not throw up.” He left the building locking the door again.

He ate the fruits and vegetables he’d been given and drank all the water. He didn’t really taste the food, but what he did was amazing. When he was finished, he let out a happy sigh and stretched out in the hay. He’d gotten food and now that he was actually in the pile of hay, he had a decent bed. His wrists had been wrapped, the stupid chains were gone. He could actually sleep somewhat comfortably now.

When he woke up yet again, the sun was low in the sky. He got to his feet and stretched. His body was yelling at him, but he wanted to work through some of his soreness. He moved around the room slowly, stretching his arms, legs, back, and neck. When he walked passed the window he looked out of it. There wasn’t much of a view, just some grazing sheep. He continued to walk.

The door opened and the man from earlier came in, a bowl of stew in hand, more vegetables, and some bread. He also had another flask.

“Feeling any better?” He set the bowl and flask down.

“Loads,” Harry said grinning. “I get to go home soon.” He sat down grabbing the bread first. “Thank you.”

“You do not act like a rich boy,” the man said.

“I guess not,” Harry said with a shrug. “I never saw the point.”

“You were strong to make it through that forest alone. There are wild creatures in there. Some of them are very dangerous.”

“Maybe the chains scared them off?” Harry took a spoonful of the stew and placed it into his mouth. He’d never had such wonderful tasting stew.

“That is possible,” the man said.

“When will the police arrive,” he asked between bites. “In the morning?”

“Mm probably tomorrow evening,” he said. “The message had to get there and then they will have to come.”

“Oh, well I guess that’s okay,” Harry said. It wasn’t like he could do anything about that. Whoever got here first to take him away from this nightmare would.

“I will see you in the morning,” the man said.

“Goodnight,” Harry said quickly. The man left.

**(TBC)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who hasn't abandoned this work. I do apologize for this long, long wait. I've been so sick since July (which is why I had the warning in the notes about updates being sporadic due to my health. ) If you've stuck around and waited, thank you. For all the kudos and the reviews, thank you. They all mean so much to me.

I’m so sorry for the long delay. As mentioned before, sometimes updates may be sporadic due to health or job issues. My job I can usually workaround, but my health is another matter. I’ve been fighting an infection now since June that got bad again in October and just now have been able to look at a computer screen without falling over. My doctor is talking about surgery now. I’m hoping they’ll do it soon because it should help a lot.

Warnings: It’s shonen-ai, gay, slash, yaoi, it’s chapter 7 do I really need to keep warning about this?

Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapter 7

Harry let out a happy sigh. His luck had finally turned around, if only for a moment. He would soon be able to talk with Sirius and get his Godfather’s thoughts on everything that’d been going on the last few days. Remus might be able to offer some decent advice too since he was such a smart person and he tolerated Sirius. His mother put up with his father. If Sirius and his father could find people to be with, eventually Harry would find someone himself. Even if it wasn’t with Tom.

_I'll have to at least thank Tom. _

Or, did he? The police were coming to retrieve him, why did he need to thank Tom? What had the other teen done beyond finding his location and sending a rabid owl after him? It wasn't like he'd actually showed up and saved him. Harry wasn't even sure if Tom had told his parents. If he had, his father and Sirius would have probably already come and claimed him. 

Maybe he was expecting too much. Tom had located him, but Harry hadn't stayed in that location. Maybe it took a lot of preparation or time to complete the location spell. Finding a single person somewhere between France and Belgium couldn't be easy. If he'd known that Tom would use the spell and actually come to get him, he'd have stayed put. The other teen hadn't even believed he’d been missing at first, so he’d had no choice. He couldn’t just stay in the forest for the rest of his life hoping for some kind of recuse that might never come. He still didn’t know if Tom or anyone else was attempting to come to get him either. The teen had never actually said he was, he’d just told Harry not to get caught again.

_Which I did, _he thought. But, getting caught had turned out to be a good thing. The Muggle police were coming and from there he’d be able to reunite with his family. After that, he still wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do. Part of him wanted to find out exactly what his parents had been thinking when they’d decided not to check up on him right away after he’d disappeared. Another part of him wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know. Worse, part of him still wanted to pursue some sort of relationship with Tom even if it was just as a pen pal. Okay, what he really wanted was for Tom to continue to like him because Harry seemed to have gone mad with everyone else around him. Maybe that’s just how it was with Tom. Once he stepped into your life, you didn’t want him to go anywhere even if that meant your life would be in constant chaos.

Not that Tom had caused all the chaos that had assaulted his life lately. Tom had not made his parents forget about him or forced him to go to an awards ceremony or dinner with his mother’s sister and family. No, most of his problems had stemmed from his family and a clear lack of communication. Even when he spoke with his parents, it felt like they were no longer listening to him, or they were, they just weren’t taking his feelings into consideration. They were simply going around doing what they wanted, what they thought was best, and Harry had to deal with the aftermath, which only seemed to be an issue for him, not his parents.

He turned onto his side and tried to go back to sleep, but his thoughts kept assaulting him. He decided that a nice daydream about Tom to block out everything else was what he needed. In this fantasy world, Tom attended Hogwarts with Harry from day one where both of them were sorted into Gryffindor and by Harry’s fifth year they were happily dating. The Dursleys were never an issue. His parents, Sirius, and Lupin couldn’t wait for Harry and Tom to get married. Life was as simple as it had been before this holiday had started. About the time when Harry and Tom were spending an evening together watching a Quidditch game, he drifted off to sleep.

**(X)**

Harry awoke to the sound of the door opening. The blonde from the night before and two other men walked in.

“He does not look like a criminal,” the first man said. He had short brown hair, a muscular body, and nice eyes.

The other man was nodding. He was just a few inches shorter than the brunette and more muscular.

“I do not believe he is,” the blonde man said. “As I said, he told me he had been kidnapped.”

“We have not received any kidnapping notices,” the other blonde said.

“I’m from England,” Harry said sitting up.

The three men looked at him curiously.

“You are far from England,” the brunette said.

“I know. And I want to go home.” _I think. _Harry wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to go home or not. He was still not happy with his parents and he was unsure about his godparents. While his mind told him he wanted to be with Tom, his sanity told him to shut up. Tom was not an option. He might have written Harry and located him, but he hadn’t actually come to get him or sent any help. The teen was probably laughing at him for getting kidnapped in the first place. No, he would go home and do one of two things. Lock himself in his room and refuse to come out until it was time to go back to school or go to Sirius’ house and do the same thing. He would spend the rest of his summer pouting, glaring, and wondering what in the hell he’d done wrong to deserve a holiday like this. He didn’t think he’d gathered enough bad karma to justify a summer like this. He played fair at Quidditch and didn’t cheat at school. He’d never harmed anyone. The worst thing he’d done was not study hard for his O.W.L.S.

“We will need to take him back to the police station,” the blonde said. “We can call one of the English stations from there.”

“If you let me call my parents we can get this straightened out fast,” Harry said standing up. He dusted his clothes up and walked over to the men. “I don’t even think they know I’m missing yet.” The three men exchanged looks that Harry did not like. They were looks that said they thought Harry was suspicious. That a teen’s parents should know immediately if he’d been kidnapped or if not, that he was at least missing. Harry agreed with the police. The reality of the situation was stupid and uncalled for, but that’s what it was. “I know what it sounds like,” Harry said tiredly. “I promise it’ll make more sense when you get ahold of my parents.” Harry didn’t know what excuse his parents would tell the police or if they’d just use a memory charm on them, but that was their problem. He was done trying to figure everything out. They could explain everything and set the records straight while he watched.

“He does not look dangerous,” the brunette said. “The two of us should be able to handle him.”

_Handle me? As long as my bad luck stays away, I’m harmless._

“Come along,” the blonde said.

The three men stepped out. The sun was just coming up, the sky a bright pink. Perhaps that was a sign of good things to come. A new beginning.

“Thank you for your help, and the food,” Harry told villager.

“It was nothing,” he said smiling. “Do stay out of trouble?”

“I’ll try,” Harry said. He meant it to. He didn’t want any more trouble, no more struggles, just a hot shower, and his bed. To hell with the rest of the world. 

The police started down the village's main path. Harry followed taking in what little view there was of the village. Seeing the meadow from the village was beautiful. It spread out, a breathtaking sea of emerald green cusped within stone cliffs. He stared transfixed and wishing he could remain in the village if only for a little longer. 

"Boy."

Harry turned at the firm tone. The brunette was already in a car behind the steering wheel. The blonde was standing next to it, the back door opened.

_Another car. _

"Coming." The car didn't belong in such a tranquil and simple place. It was as out of place as it would be parked beside Hagrid's hut.

He got into the car and fastened his seatbelt. The seat cushion was a blessing and reminder of the upcoming comforts that current society offered. Soon he would be in his own room, surrounded by his things, and with access to all the wonderful technology within his house. Mainly, hot water, soap, a proper toilet, and a warm blanket. 

"Thanks for coming to get me."

"We could not leave a possible escaped prisoner."

"Right." He rolled his eyes and turned to the window. The two men began speaking in French. They were probably talking about him, trying to guess if he really was an escaped convict or a victim of kidnapping. There was no point in arguing his case here. As soon as they arrived at the station, he'd call the Auror's office and ask for Sirius. He'd at least listen to Harry and get everything sorted out. 

They’d only been driving a few minutes when Harry frowned noticing a strange dark shape in the distance. It wasn't moving and seemed to be human in form. They passed it quickly, Harry's eyes widening. He turned as much as he could with his seatbelt on to get a better look. There was no denying it. Even with just that fast look, Harry and Tom's eyes met. Harry felt his heart flutter as well as an impending sense of doom as he turned around in his seat. 

"Um--." Harry felt an odd pressure wrap around him and then he flew forward. The seatbelt dug into his body, his vision spinning, only it wasn't a normal spin. No, this was a forward angled spin. He watched the view in the windshield shift from the road and forest in front of them to just road, dust, and rocks. The windshield cracked and the car groaned as the car stood upright on its front bumper and grill. Harry could hear screaming, but he didn't know if it was him or the two policemen. The police car froze in that spot.

Harry brought his arms up to shield his face and shut his eyes tight. He felt the car lurch forward all the way swaying to the right as it went. The car slammed down on its right side shockwaves following. 

The world suddenly stopped. Harry listened, too scared to open his eyes just yet. A minute then two passed. Harry allowed his eyes to open just a sliver. The windshield was almost gone, only jagged edges of glass left behind in the frame. The rest had showered the car in millions of pieces. Harry slowly moved his arms. Tiny pieces of glass slid to the floor. 

"Ugh…" The noise vibrated throughout the car as he lifted his head up. More glass clinked as pieces fell from his hair. Slowly he took in his surroundings. Both police officers seemed to be unconscious. He was sure they'd taken the brunt of glass onslaught. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was floating. He looked to his right. The window was gone, replaced by rocks, one of them looked particularly nasty, and grass. If not for the seatbelt, he would have fallen and hit those rocks.

He turned his head unable to look any longer.

_Calm down. _He didn't think anything was broken, besides his nerves. He needed to get out of the car, but he needed a plan first. If he didn’t do things just right he would end up sliding right down to the broken window. Harry decided the short fall without the power of the crash would not kill him and began fumbling with the seat belt release, but his hands were shaking so bad he couldn't even properly grasp it. 

"Shite, come on…." He kept at it, his movements rushed, desperate. He could feel his face heat up as his movements intensified yet failed to work. "Please!"

CRUNCH. 

Harry's head jerked towards the sound. Tom was looking down at him from the back window, his face inches from Harry’s own.

"Are you okay?" He was so matter of fact it made Harry want to scream. Did he look okay!?

"Get me out of here!"

"Calm down." His face disappeared from the window and the car door opened, its hinges protesting every inch of the way. Tom came back into view. He seemed to consider something and gave a small nod. He wrapped one arm around Harry's waist, the other releasing the seat belt. He tilted his head staring at the seat belt when it didn't open. "Oh well." He whipped his wand out with his free hand and aimed it at the seat belt. Harry didn't hear any spell, but a knife-like cut broke the belt. 

Harry fell a centimeter, Tom’s arm holding him firmly in place. He pulled Harry up with ease. Harry gripped the doorframe, his other arm going around Tom's neck. Between the two of them, Harry managed to climb out of the car. Once he was free, and his legs were safely on the ground, he clung to Tom.

"Did you see what happened," Harry asked trying hard to keep his voice even. Things had been going so smooth. The police had come to get him and take him back to civilization where he could get a shower and sleep in a real bed. They’d treated him with suspicion, but that was fine. His luck had been holding out and then, this!

"Of course I did. I'm the one who did it." 

Harry took a step back and stared at Tom, his mouth falling open. 

"WHY!? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!" 

"I shielded you," Tom said rolling his eyes. 

Harry didn't know what to do. The car looked like a bomb had gone off under it with the bottom blackened and pushed in. The car probably wasn’t even worth salvaging. He couldn't believe the damage. The car was on its right side, covered in dents and scratches, glass everywhere. Harry took a step towards it, Tom grabbing his wrist.

"Don't."

"Don't," Harry repeated in disbelief. "There are two Muggle cops in there!"

"It's on fire," Tom said.

"All the more reason to save them!"

"They aren't Muggles," Tom said. 

"Of course they're Muggles," Harry said. He tried moving towards the car again, but Tom held him back. "Tom--,"

"They aren't Muggles," Tom said again.

Harry glared at him. He’d known there was something off about this teen, but this, this was mental. How could anyone just cause a car to explode and hardly even react to it? Tom didn’t seem to care at all or even understand the gravity of what he’d just done.

“They came to take me back to the city,” Harry said through gritted teeth. “And you—“

“There are a total of seven escaped prisoners from Azkaban,” Tom said. “And these were two of them.” A groan came from inside the car. Tom released Harry’s wrist approaching the car.

“Wh, wait,” Harry said. His voice was weak.

“A shame they want them alive,” Tom scowled. He aimed his wand, a bright red light shooting out of it. The man inside froze. A flick of Tom’s wand and the man’s body flew out of the car’s windshield and landed on the road opposite of the car. A repeat of the movements had the second one sprawled out beside the first.

“What’s going on,” Harry demanded.

Rope emerged from Tom’s wand and bound both men.

“I just saved you from being kidnapped, again,” Tom said simply. “You are far too trusting.”

“I usually don’t have problems like this,” Harry snapped. Never once in his entire life had he ever worried about being kidnapped or even harmed expect in a Quidditch match. His world was fast spiraling out of control. He moved away from the car sitting down in the grass on the other side of the road and just stared at the scene before him. The entire car was now burning steadily.

Tom sat down beside him.

“What happened to your wrist?”

Harry stared at Tom. How could that be his biggest concern in all of this? Tom had cast some spell and the car in front of them was in flames thanks to him. There were two paralyzed and unconscious would be police officers in the grass a few feet away from them. He didn’t know what to say. The last few days had been too much. He’d been emotionally and physically dragged in too many different directions and truthfully, he still didn’t know where he actually stood with anyone. There were too many what-ifs and craziest of all he was glad that Tom had found him. Tears began pouring down his cheeks as he tried to process everything going on around him.

“Harry?” Tom leaned forward and pulled Harry towards him. He wrapped his arm around him, Harry burying his face in Tom’s chest. He began stroking Harry’s back gently. “It’ll be okay. I’ve decided I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” Tom said. “You get into the weirdest situations when no one is watching you.”

_Like you’re making things any easier, _Harry thought. He tightened his grip around Tom. He didn’t want to be left alone anymore. He didn’t want to be in these kinds of situations either. He wanted his life to go back to normal. No more kidnappings, car crashes, or forced hikes through miles of forest. No more being chained up or held in decaying castles. No more being forced to eat berries and drink from ponds.

The tears didn’t seem to want to stop. Harry tried, but the harder he tried to stop, the harder he cried. Tom talked to him, but Harry could not make out the words. When he managed to get himself under control, his head felt like he’d landed on the rock that had been taunting him from his seatbelt.

“Do you feel any better,” Tom asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Harry admitted. He moved out of Tom’s arms and wiped the last few tears away. “Sorry.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” Tom said. “And somehow I’m going to make this whole mess up to you. I really didn’t think you’d been kidnapped.” He cupped Harry’s chin with his hand.

“Why,” Harry asked a partial laugh escaping his lips. “Who lies about that?”

“Unfortunately, a few people have.” He removed his hand from Harry’s face.

Harry felt his mouth open slightly.

“Seriously?”

“You’d be surprised what people will do to get my attention,” Tom said.

“And you decided, without knowing me that well, that I was one of those people,” Harry asked raising an eyebrow.

Tom looked mildly shocked before a smile slowly crossed his features.

“Okay, I apologize for the other night. I suppose we are both guilty of jumping to conclusions. I intend to fix that once we leave.”

“How?”

“I’m spending an entire day with you so I do get to know you.” He kissed Harry before the Gryffindor could reply. Harry melted when their lips met. When they pulled apart the reality of the situation they were in sank back in. It didn’t matter if no one had seen them, Tom had definitely broken a few Wizarding laws concerning Muggles. “How are we going to explain this?”

“What’s to explain,” Tom asked looking curious.

“This,” Harry said motioning to the two Muggles and the car. During his crying session, the car had turned into a black husk, the flames almost gone now. He wondered why the car hadn’t blown up but decided now was not the time to dwell on that.

“Your father gave me specific instructions to find and bring you back unharmed,” Tom said his look darkening.

“By blowing up a car and maiming two Muggles?”

“I told you, these aren’t Muggles,” Tom sighed. He stood up brushing some of the dirt from his pants and walked towards the two men he’d tied up. He went through the blonde’s pocket and pulled a wand out a second later. “See.” He held it up in front of Harry.

Harry blinked. What in the hell was going on?

“Why was I being kidnapped, _again_,” Harry demanded getting to his feet.

“I told you, seven prisoners escaped from Azkaban the other day,” Tom explained. “Two of which seemed to have kidnapped you. And two which attempted and failed.” He smirked after he mentioned the failed attempt.

“That’s why Sirius hasn’t been writing me,” Harry said frowning. His Godfather was not ignoring him; he’d been overrun with work. With seven escapees, Sirius would be working around the clock trying to return the prisoners to Azkaban. Remus might have offered to help too. He didn’t always help the Aurors, but when they had a difficult case he would set aside his own work at the Ministry and join them. Even if Sirius had written him, the anti-mail charm around the decaying castle would have been in place. After that, his Godfather wouldn’t have even known he hadn’t replied. Sirius probably didn’t even know what day it was and if Remus was helping, neither of them would give his lack of reply any thought. “Have I really been gone for six days?”

“Yes,” Tom said.

“And my parents actually went to Switzerland without me,” Harry said.

“Your parents were very surprised to find out you were not with me.”

“And why aren’t they with you now,” Harry asked turning to face the other teen.

“Your parents were in Switzerland, for about a day,” Tom said. “With the escapes from Azkaban, your father had to return to work. He asked me to find out what you were doing and to bring you back home.” He hesitated a moment. “I didn’t tell them you were kidnapped.”

“Why not,” Harry demanded. “You realize if you hadn’t found me first these wizards would have taken me, again! I probably would have ended back up in that decaying castle,” Harry said his voice rising. “If something had happened to you, it would have been months before anyone even realized I was actually missing!”

“…I was selfish. I wanted to save you myself,” Tom said. “I knew I could handle it, so….” A slight blush had crossed his features.

Harry couldn’t deny that Tom could handle it, but if something had gone wrong. If Tom had gotten hurt, had lost interest, anything, things could have gone horribly wrong.

“You—“

“I told them before I went to get you,” Tom said looking away. “I know I should have told them immediately. I usually don’t act in such an illogical way, but I wanted to impress you. I wanted to be your savior.” He placed his hand over Harry’s own. “I knew it was wrong, so before I left I told them. Your father seemed confident that I could bring you back myself.”

“That still…” Harry couldn’t believe it. If his father was chasing after these escaped prisoners, why wouldn’t he or Sirius show up to help get him? Why just send Tom and risk the two of them getting hurt? How could his father trust his safety to someone he had just met, famous or not?

“I need to take these two back to the ministry,” Tom said. He frowned when Harry didn’t answer. “What?”

“Why didn’t my father come with,” Harry asked quietly. His father should have been there to make sure his only son was all right. His father should have been the one arresting his son’s kidnappers, not leaving it to Tom who happened to be a highly accomplished researcher and a food critic.

“The Auror’s office had no problem giving me a temporary position. After all, I’m an accomplished duelist and placed first in the regional championship when I was twelve.”

“Of course you did,” Harry sighed. Of course, Tom was a dueling champion and given temporary arresting powers. Why not? Tom was perfect in every single way. Harry was no match for that. He couldn’t even win against the Gryffindor dueling captain. He’d been rescued by Tom alright, just to prove how flawed he was. He’d been kidnapped and lost his wand. His face burned at those thoughts. He should just climb into a hole and stay there so no one could see how unqualified he was as a wizard. “Just like you’re going to be the next Ministry of Magic by the time you’re twenty,” he said shaking his head. “You’re so perfect I want to throw you in the nearest mud puddle!”

Tom blinked at that and tilted his head slightly.

“I am by no means perfect, just skilled and a hard worker,” he said approaching Harry. “I also believe that’s the first time anyone has threatened me with that particular punishment.” The left side of his mouth twitched as he if was trying to keep a smile off his face.

“Shut up.” None of this was fair and he knew he was being unreasonable, but he was embarrassed, tired, and starting to get angry.

Tom sighed.

“Fine, would you like me to go back and tell your parents you wouldn’t come with me? They can come rescue you if by chance, you are still here when they arrive.”

“That’s not…!” Harry growled and turned on Tom. “You don’t get it!” While he wanted his parents to come to rescue him, Tom was already there and that’s what he’d really wanted to begin with. He’d wanted Tom to save him. The reality of it was much different from what he’d fantasized about in his head though and that was driving him crazy.

Tom moved in front of him, eyebrow raised in question, his arms once again folded across his chest.

“You’re right, I don’t. Enlighten me before I decide I don’t care and simply drag you back home by force.”

“How could my parents trust someone they’ve just met to come save me,” Harry demanded.

“Oh, I get it,” Tom said, the annoyance fading in his voice. “You’re upset at your parents.”

Harry nodded. Who wouldn’t be upset at their parents over something like this? Even if they trusted Tom, even if he was a famous duelist, didn’t they care enough to come with and make sure that their only son was safe? What if all of the escaped prisoners were together holding Harry captive? Tom might be good, but was he good enough to take on all seven prisoners at once?

_Like you’re important enough to be held captive by all seven prisoners. _His parents still should have come.

“Can we please go and deal with this later, before someone else tries to kidnap you?”

“O, okay.”

“Then you’ll come back with me,” Tom asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Tom moved towards the two wizards, Harry following behind him. There was no point in staying in the middle of nowhere again. He shouldn’t take his frustration out on Tom either. He’d at least found Harry and came to retrieve him.

“What about the car?” Or, what had used to be a car. The only thing left now was a burnt shell. 

“They probably stole it from the Muggle police. Let them deal with it. If they didn’t have such faulty security, these two would have never gotten it in the first place.”

Harry didn’t think that was fair. A witch or a wizard could easily get past any Muggle security, but he was too tired to fight about it. He wanted to go home. He had so many questions. 

After a very nauseating side along, the four of them were standing in front of the Ministry of Magic. Tom dragged the two wizards inside by magic without giving either of them a second look. The blonde hit his head a few times, once against a door frame and twice on the floor. Tom did not seem to care and Harry found that he didn’t either.

Harry trailed after them wondering what he should do next. He wasn’t sure which adult he should question first or if he should just find an Auror and beg them to take him home. That wasn’t asking too much, was it?

Some of the ministry workers gasped when they saw Tom strolling by with his catch.

They took the elevator up to the second level. The door slid open, Tom exiting first. A short silence followed by cheers erupted in the office. Harry was about to step out and then stopped. He didn’t want to face the Aurors right now. He’d wanted to be an Auror since he’d first understood what his father did and yet he’d let himself get kidnapped. He’d let his guard down, had believed someone he had a crush on was running after him and allowed himself to be taken. There was no way he could go into the Auror’s office right now. Not with the knowledge that he was completely unqualified to be an Auror.

He hit the close door button, somewhat relieved when it slid shut. He pressed the button to go back to the first level. The doors opened to the entrance hall. He passed the giant fountain in the middle of the walkway. The fountain contained statues of different races, a centaur, a goblin, a wizard, and more. Usually, Harry stopped and looked at it whenever he saw it, but today he had had it. The only thing appealing about it right now was the clean water inside of it.

“Harry?” It took Harry a second to recognize the figure in front of him. The wizard in question was in need of a shave and from the looks of it, a long shower and a change of clothes. When his identity clicked into place, Harry grinned and rushed over to Lupin throwing his arms around him. “You’re in a good mood,” he said returning the hug. He pushed Harry out to arm’s length immediately. “I know it’s the summer holiday, but you still need to bathe,” he said giving Harry a somewhat disappointed look.

“Didn’t my parents tell you and Sirius what happened,” Harry asked.

Remus shook his head.

“No, all three of us have been working nonstop on the Azkaban escape. Only seven prisoners got out, but the entire jail is in chaos. Aurors have been stationed around the building while it’s being fixed. It’s a real mess…” He frowned. “What happened?”

“I was kidnapped by two of those prisoners with a second attempt by another pair,” Harry growled. “And my parents said nothing! I was held hostage in a decaying castle. I got out, but ended up being tricked and almost caught again. If Tom hadn’t shown up….”

Remus’s eyes widened at that. He examined Harry once again, his own haggard look seeming to fall into place.

“James and Lily never said anything….”

“Yeah well, we haven’t been getting along so great this summer,” Harry muttered.

“I’m sure they have…” Harry wasn’t sure what kind of look he was giving his godfather, but he stopped voicing his thought. “Have you already told someone in the Auror’s office what happened?”

“No,” Harry said quietly.

Remus looked surprised at that but didn’t push the issue. He started towards the entrance of the Ministry, Harry walking beside him. They stopped at the front desk where a wizard and two witches sat talking to a number of people. Remus waved his hand to get the nearest witch’s attention.

“Mary, I’m going home for a bit if anyone needs to get ahold of me.” Remus didn’t wait for a reply from the witch, instead walking even faster towards the door. “That’s how you get out of here without issue, you don’t give them a chance to stop you,” Remus said sharing a wink with Harry.

Harry managed a slight smile at that. At least one adult in his life was showing him some much-needed understanding.

Another side-along had Harry standing in front of Sirius and Remus’s home. Sirius had inherited Number Twelve Grimmauld’s place from his parents. It was a large home, even compared to Harry’s own. Remus tapped the handle, a blue light surrounding the doorknob. The door shuddered in its frame before creaking open.

Remus pushed the door open and motioned for Harry to enter before him.

“Sirius didn’t want to take any chances with the recent breakout,” Remus explained.

“At least he’s taking the situation seriously,” Harry said. Not that the escaped prisoners were smart. _Which only proves how dumb you are, _Harry reminded himself.

He took his shoes off leaving them next to the door. He was surprised to see just how dirty his shoes were. He decided he should take his socks off as well and shoved them into his shoes.

“James is working hard with Sirius to….” Remus sighed shaking his head. “I can’t imagine why he wasn’t out there looking for you. Sirius and I would have been if we’d known.”

“Tom didn’t tell anyone until last night,” Harry said. “He wanted to be the one to come get me.”

“When you say Tom, you mean Dumbledore’s son,” Remus asked. They walked up the stairs together. They passed by the door that was basically Harry’s bedroom and stopped in front of the bathroom door.

“Yeah,” Harry said.

“Okay.” Remus didn’t seem sure how to process any of this any more than Harry did. “Go ahead and take a bath. I’m going to get a shower myself. When we’re both clean we can try and put together what exactly is going on.”

“Okay.”

“I’m glad you’re safe though.” He leaned forward and gave Harry a quick kiss on the top of his head. “Make sure you wash your hair.” He disappeared down the hall, Harry watching him. He knew if he could just get to Sirius and Remus that things would be better and he was right.

After one of the best showers Harry had ever had, he changed into a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt and collapsed onto his bed. It was by far, the most comfortable bed in the world right now. He examined his wrists. With just a small amount of healing ointment, the bruises and cuts had vanished.

_Oh yeah… _He’d left the building without telling Tom. He knew he should write Tom, but right now, all that mattered was the bed and that he was safe, and that Remus was here with him. He could deal with everything else, like his destroyed dreams, his parent’s complete neglect, his own stupidity, later. After he’d gotten some well-deserved rest. Maybe Sirius and Remus could help put him on the right path to becoming an Auror. They could explain to him what he needed to do, because obviously he did not have the proper mindset. It was all too tiring to think about for now. Instead, he let his eyes close. His body seemed to sink into the mattress and pillow. The blankets were so warm. Everything was perfect.

**(TBC)**

This took far longer than it should have. I guess that’s just what happens when you’re constantly getting sick. Sorry again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, me being me, I got sick immediately following the surgery. So, I’m in slow recovery mode. Now might be an important time to do so, given the virus spreading so rampant. Which is the other reason I’m being kept out of work. The surgery is considered an underlying health issue at the moment, plus some surgery issues that I keep having that just can’t be addressed at work. Plus, the asthma, etc. etc. Honestly, I was just told to stay home and not budge unless I have a follow up doctor’s appointment. It’s been about a month since I’ve had surgery. I’m still not fully put together. Some days are better than others.   
Warnings: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle. Alternate universe.   
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

“Hey.” Harry heard the word, only he didn’t want to. The bed was far too comfortable, and he was in terrible need of rest. Every bit of him protested the intrusion. His consciousness just needed a break from the world that seemed so determined to kill him or at least drive him mad. There was pressure on his arm then, his mind begging him to ignore it. “Harry.”

“Don’t wake him up, he’s been through a lot,” another voice whispered harshly. 

“He’s been asleep all day, he needs to eat,” the first voice said.

“All things considered….”

With the conversation going on around him, Harry stood no chance at remaining asleep. He opened his eyes, his bedroom at his godparent’s house coming into view as well as Sirius. His godfather was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand on Harry’s arm, but he was looking towards the door. When Harry followed his godfather’s gaze, he saw Remus leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded, now clean shaven and wearing clean clothes. 

The exhaustion Harry had been feeling the last few days evaporated. He bolted straight up in bed, Sirius and Remus both making surprised noises. Harry gripped Sirius into a tight embrace, refusing to let go. Sirius had come to check on him. Of course, he’d come to check on him. Remus must have let him know what was going on, and his godfather had come rushing home the second he could get away from work to make sure Harry was okay. He was doing exactly what a responsible and loving parent should be doing. His parents needed to take some notes. 

“Glad to see you’re okay,” Sirius said. He’d wrapped his own arms around Harry. 

“Sorry if we woke you up,” Remus whispered. 

Harry shook his head, his face hidden in Sirius’ shirt. He was acting like a little kid, but he thought it was well-deserved behavior. He’d been kidnapped and held captive for days, walked miles through an unknown forest, and then got accused of being an escaped prisoner. If that didn’t justify childish behavior, he didn’t know what did. 

“See, he doesn’t care,” Sirius said, his voice cheerful. “He’d have gotten mad if I hadn’t woken him up and went back to work without making sure he was okay.” 

Why do my godparents understand me so much better than my own parents!? 

Harry didn’t want to move from Sirius’ embrace, but he did want to talk to him. He’d finally made it to the safety of his godparents’ home. He had Remus and Sirius with him, and they would somehow make the world right again. They always did. 

“We have some Butterbeer and burgers downstairs if you’re willing to get out of bed.” 

“Don’t bribe him,” Remus sighed. 

“It’s not a bribe if I already bought the stuff,” Sirius said. Harry finally looked up. Even though Remus and Sirius were not quite in agreement, they were smiling at each other. “Come on.” Sirius stood up and moved towards the door. Harry scrambled off the bed, chasing after his godfather. “Remus gave me an outline of what you’ve been through since the last novel you sent me.” 

Harry felt his face burn at that and nodded. The three of them went down the stairs.

“More than I’ve dealt with most of my life,” Harry muttered. 

“Well, Dumbledore’s son caught two of the prisoners, so they let me come home for a bit.” He pushed the door open, leading into the kitchen. He held it open for Remus and Harry. On the kitchen table was a white paper bag and three glass bottles of Butterbeer. “Not that I wouldn’t have come after I read Remus’ letter.” He sat down at the table, the other two doing the same. 

“Yeah, haven’t you heard, he’s perfect,” Harry said, clearly annoyed. He grabbed one of the Butterbeer and popped the top off. 

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that. He looked at Remus, then back at Harry.

“I don’t think anyone can claim to be perfect,” Remus said slowly. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. Harry didn’t think that was necessary. There was no use in denying how perfect Tom was. It was merely a fact. 

“No, he isn’t claiming to be, I’m telling you he is.” He took a swig of the Butterbeer, all of his muscles relaxing. He mentally thanked whoever created this most wonderful of all beverages. 

Sirius removed the burgers and chips from inside the bag and passed them to their respective owners. 

“Well, I haven’t talked to the guy. All I know is, you were mad at him at first, then you kissed him and suddenly he was great.” The look on Harry’s face must have been priceless, because Remus glared at Sirius, but his godfather just laughed. “I’m not saying he’s wrong. Some people you have to kiss before you realize they’re worth it.” He redirected his grin at Harry. “So, how is he perfect?”

“There isn’t anything not perfect about him,” Harry said, setting his Butterbeer down harder than he’d intended to. “He’s a popular food critic, he’s a genius researcher. He’s only a year older than me, but he’s already graduated from Hogwarts. He won the national dueling championship when he was twelve. He found a cure for Wizarding Flu. The Auror’s office took one look at him and gave him temporary arrest powers, and he’s a master manipulator! And to top it all off, he’s a really good kisser.” 

Sirius whistle, setting his own Butterbeer down. 

“What do you think, Remus?”

“I think someone may be in love,” Remus said, smiling at Harry. “How does he feel about you?” 

“He claims he likes me, but…” 

“Can’t figure out why,” Sirius asked. Harry nodded. 

“Don’t even bother trying,” Remus said, waving his hand. “I still don’t know why I’m in love with this,” he motioned to Sirius. “But I am and I’m very happy.”

“Did you hear that, Harry? I’ve been upgraded from a thing to a this.” He pulled a chip out and popped it into his mouth. 

“Do I hear bragging? Perhaps you haven’t earned the title of this,” Remus said. 

Sirius leaned over and kissed Remus on the lips before he could go on. Harry looked away, his face burning. 

“I did mean what I said,” Remus said a moment later when the two had parted. “Who a person falls in love with has no logic behind it. It just is. He’s probably as confused as you are.” 

“Merlin knows I thought you and James were trying to prank me when you asked me out on Valentine’s Day. I expected one of you to do something at Hogsmeade,” Sirius said. “Never once believed someone as bright as Remus would take an interest in someone like me.”

“James was too busy chasing after Lily,” Remus said, moving closer to Sirius, so their bodies were touching. “Besides, he knew better than to get in my way. I told him months ago you were mine.” 

“Scary.” Sirius took another chip and bit into it, a blush on his face.

“Thanks,” Harry said, both his godfathers looking at him. “I wasn’t really sure, but… I feel like my relationship with Tom is kind of like yours… only extreme.” 

“It won’t always feel that way. Once you two have been together for a while you’ll just feel peace,” Remus said.

“Peace would be nice,” Harry admitted. He wouldn’t mind some comfort either. The few times they’d settled into a peaceful mood, Tom took it away seconds later. 

“Sure, you could use it after the shite summer you’ve been having,” Sirius muttered. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with your parents, but I intend to find out.” He tousled Harry’s hair, the Gryffindor grinning. “You’re going to stay here with us until we get this mess sorted out. I won’t be able to spend much time with you until those prisoners are all back in Azkaban, but we will get everything back to normal.”

“I understand,” Harry said. “I’d offer to help, but…” He was still embarrassed about everything that had happened. “My wand…” Harry said, his eyes widening. “Those tossers still have my wand!” 

“I thought your boyfriend caught the two people who kidnapped you,” Sirius said.

“No, those were two different prisoners,” Harry said, thoroughly frustrated with himself. How could he have been so stupid? He should have had Tom go with him back to the castle to retrieve his wand, but he’d been so tired by the time Tom had found him… 

“Wait, you know where two other prisoners are at,” Sirius asked, dropping the small bag of chips he’d been holding onto the table. 

“Yeah,” Harry said. “It’s a decaying castle in the middle of nowhere. Tom probably knows the village I stayed at overnight. It’s a few days walk from there. Most of the floor is missing. The only reason I got out was, because the wall the chains were bolted into collapsed.” He tried to think. “Tom said in the letter he wrote me I was on the border of France and Belgium.”

“… Sirius, that’s Chateau Miranda,” Remus said, his face paling and eyes widening. That’s where they found Milan torturing Muggles a few years back. Was there anyone else with you?”

“Not that I know of. Mather and Brian had me chained up in the kitchen, but I never saw anyone else and they never mentioned anyone named Milan.”

“That makes sense. Mathew and Brian were working with Milan. He paid them and Alexandre to capture Muggles.” 

“They said they were the only two there… but the weird part was, Mather wanted my parents to know I was missing. He wanted to cause my dad panic, but there was an anti-mail charm on the castle.” It didn’t make any sense. “I mean, they were both stupid, but not that stupid.” 

There was a short pause before Sirius got up.

“We need to get everyone rounded up and storm that castle,” Remus said, standing up. 

“Yeah,” Sirius agreed. “Harry, thank you for that information. We might be able to end this fiasco a lot sooner now.” He tousled Harry’s hair again, grabbed the white bag and dropped his and Remus’ food into it. “Listen. I put some really strong protection charms on number twelve. Most of the prisoners that escaped from Azkaban are no big deal, but Alexandre and Milan are smart. They’re good at what they do. So, I need you to do me a favor and stay put.”

“O, okay.”

“Don’t open the door for anyone. For some reason they’re targeting you to get to us.” 

“I’m not— “

“I know you’re strong,” Sirius said cutting Harry off, “but you don’t have a wand right now and I don’t want to risk them getting you.” 

Harry couldn’t deny that reasoning if he wanted to. A wizard was next to useless without a wand and his was lost somewhere in a decaying castle, alone with Brian and Mather of all people. 

My wand is never going to forgive me. He’d be lucky if they managed to locate his wand at all, more so if it ever let Harry use it again. He’d practically abandoned it. Would any other wand accept him after performing such a heinous act?

“Fine….”

“I’ll bring your wand back and then you’re going to tell me how Mather and Brian of all people managed to grab you,” Sirius said. 

“… Tom and I got into an argument and I thought it was him coming up behind me,” Harry admitted. 

Sirius studied him for a second before shaking his head. 

“You are definitely in love.” He gave Harry a quick hug. “Don’t worry; I’ve made a few mistakes like that myself.” 

“A few,” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are we just acknowledging your minor hiccups?” 

“Belt it,” Sirius said. 

“No one expects you to think like an Auror,” Remus said. Sirius released him, Remus giving him a hug now. “That’s something that comes with experience and training.”

“But Tom…”

“Tom spent half his childhood as a target,” Sirius said. “Being Dumbledore’s son is no easy feat. People were constantly after him to get to his father. He knows to attack first and ask questions later.”

“Oh…” That made sense. Harry hadn’t even considered the implications that came with being Dumbledore’s son, adopted or not. He’d thought Tom had grown up in complete luxury without a care in the world, but it seemed his life had not been so easy. 

“We’ll be back as soon as we can, but it probably won’t be until morning. There’s more food in the fridge,” Remus said as the two walked towards the kitchen door. Harry followed them out into the hall and to the entranceway. They pulled their shoes on, Harry watching them silently. He wanted to go with, to prove he could fight and that he wasn’t an idiot. That he could help the Aurors just as much as Tom could. More than that, he didn’t want to be left alone. Protection charms did not keep you safe from your thoughts and he had plenty of them he wanted to avoid for the time being.

“See you later, Harry,” Remus said. Sirius opened the door and stopped, his entire body going rigid. Remus gave Harry a quick look and ran next to Sirius, his body visibly relaxing when he caught sight of the open doorway. “Oh…”

“How did you find my house,” Sirius asked. He didn’t sound happy at all.

Harry didn’t like Sirius’ tone, but he wasn’t about to back down. He wasn’t sure what he could do without a wand, but he’d help his godparents fight. Whoever was standing outside the front door would have to take all three of them down if they tried anything.

“The Auror office,” the voice said.

Harry pushed past his godparents, his eyes falling on Tom. He smiled, his heart dancing just at the sight of the other teen. 

Why am I only slightly surprised? It would have been more surprising if Tom hadn’t found him at his godparents’ place, because he always found him.

“They’re not supposed to tell anyone,” Sirius muttered, glaring at Tom. 

Tom’s gaze fell on Harry, and he wasn’t sure what he should do. Tom was smiling ever so slightly at him, but the look in his eyes promised a slow death, something Harry was growing accustomed to. 

“Harry gave us the location of two more prisoners,” Remus explained. “So, we’re heading back to the Ministry. If you’d come back later—”

“He can stay,” Harry said quickly. “If you don’t mind,” he added.

“Are you sure,” Remus asked. 

“Yeah.”

Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. They didn’t seem to come up with any reason to keep Tom from staying.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Sirius muttered. “Stay inside.”

“Okay.” Harry watched his godparents walk a short distance from the door before they both Apparated. With the two of them gone, Harry and Tom slipped into a staring match. Harry waited for him to come in or at least say something, but the other teen wasn’t budging at all. “Aren’t you coming in,” Harry asked. 

Tom looked mildly surprised before he hesitantly stepped into the house. 

Harry closed the door behind him, wondering where to start. He was glad that Tom had found him, even if he was safe at his godparents’ house. He hadn’t realized it until Tom had shown up that he’d been missing him so badly. He grabbed Tom’s hand and led him into the sitting room. Once they were there, Harry went over to the overstuffed sofa and sat down, Tom sitting down beside him. 

“Did Sirius magically make everything in your life better,” Tom asked bitterly. 

“Kind of,” Harry admitted. “I mean Remus brought me here, and I was able to shower. I got to sleep in a real bed. Sirius brought me food and said he’d help straighten my parents out.” He owed both his godparents so much for just the last few hours. His life had shifted into the right direction, now he just needed to follow that path. Why did Tom seem angry about that? 

A dark look crossed Tom’s face.

“Just tell me the truth,” Tom said, his voice harsh. “Do you even like me?” 

“Wh, what? Of course, I do!” Harry said giving Tom his full attention. Why would Tom even think such a thing? He didn’t want to admit it, but he’d do anything for him. Anything at all to keep Tom by his side and happy. It wasn’t practical at all and he wasn’t capable of doing even a fraction of what Tom could or most of the Wizarding World if he was being honest, but he’d try. 

“You have a real funny way of showing it.”

For the first time Harry saw clear emotion besides anger on Tom’s face, and to his horror, it was one of pain. He could hardly believe that he of all people could cause Tom pain. He hadn’t thought he could cause Tom anything besides annoyance and anger. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry said, realizing he’d been apologizing to Tom quite a lot lately. In fact, he’d been really cruel to him if he thought about it. He leaned forward and kissed Tom on the lips. “I’ve been so caught up in my horrible summer, it never even occurred to me all the hell I’ve been putting you through.” He offered Tom a smile. “Thanks for coming to me. Not just here, but for each time I’ve been stupid enough not to wait for you.” His words weren’t enough, he knew that, but he wasn’t sure what else to say. He needed Tom to know that he was sorry, that he’d never meant to cause him any sort of sadness. 

Tom studied him and finally nodded. 

“You need to realize your actions have consequences,” he said, his voice neutral. 

“I know they do,” Harry said. He sagged into the couch, deflated. “Not studying hard enough for my O.W.L.S. has my mum worried. She’ll make me retake all the classes I didn’t pass with high enough marks, because for some reason being an Auror is the worst job in the world to her, even though dad and Sirius are Aurors. Dad and her are fighting, because I want to be an Auror instead of a healer or some other job she and society has deemed prestigious. Walking out of the restaurant got me kidnapped and inconvenienced you. Everything I’ve done, every reaction I’ve had this summer was wrong.” 

“Inconvenienced,” Tom asked, repeating the word, his eyes flashing. “Harry, I was terrified I wouldn’t make it in time and never see you again! And I was almost right,” he said, his eyes darkening. “Every time I tracked you down, you were gone before I got there.” 

“Well, you never once said you were coming to get me,” Harry pointed out trying to deflect some of the blame. “I waited all day inside the forest and then you sent a reply telling me you didn’t believe me.” 

Tom let out a frustrated sigh.

“I did apologize for that.”

“I know…” That didn’t make the lack of trust Tom had in him hurt any less. He knew he didn’t deserve Tom’s trust, but even so…. 

“And I wouldn’t say all of your actions were wrong,” Tom admitted as he wrapped his arm around Harry’s waist. He pulled Harry against him, “You are entitled to pursue any goal you deem worthy of your time. You have to live your life; your mother can’t do it for you.” 

“I know,” Harry said, resting against Tom, “I just hate the fighting.” 

“My father and I haven’t always agreed on everything either.”

Harry nodded. He’d seen the looks of distrust and stress on Dumbledore’s face at the awards ceremony. That seemed so long ago now.

“How did you fix it?”

“I did it anyway,” Tom said, smirking. “Eventually he realized even if I was making a mistake, that I had to do it before I could move on.” He seemed to consider his words. “With most things.”

“So, there are still some things he refuses to let you fail at,” Harry asked.

“Not exactly… when we don’t agree, we sit down and talk through all of it. He explains exactly why he’s against or for something, and I do the same. We match notes. If I can understand the flaws in something, I don’t do it.” 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Harry said. Could he convince his mother to engage in the same way? Maybe he could show her why being an Auror was so important to him. “Do you think you could…” He stopped when he noticed a small weight on his shoulder. Tom had fallen asleep and decided to use him as a pillow. There’s no telling when he slept last. He brought his free arm up and stroked Tom’s hair with his hand. It was softer than he’d thought it would be. “Sorry I ruined your summer,” he whispered. “I’ll try to do whatever I can to make it up to you.” 

(X)

Harry stirred, his eyes slowly opening. It was dark outside, and someone had thrown a blanket on both Tom and him as well as lit the candles inside the sitting room. In front of him on the coffee table was a piece of paper. Tom had removed himself from Harry’s shoulder and stretched out on the couch, his head now on the armrest, his feet in Harry’s lap. Harry leaned forward and grabbed the note.

Harry,

I came in to check on you and found you and Tom together. I whistled at the sight, but neither of you woke up. Sirius told me he had you when he got back to the Ministry. We caught Brian and Mather, but Alexandre and Milan are still out there. Stay inside. I’ll come check on you again soon.

Your father;

James

“My father,” Harry said, rolling his eyes at the note and dropping it onto the floor. Until he got proper answers from his family, Sirius and Remus were the only parents he had. How could his dad not wake him up to check on him? Even if Sirius had told his dad he was okay, he still could have made sure...

Harry caught a glimpse of something still on the table in the corner of his eye. Did he…? He dared to believe it and looked at the coffee table again. The note had been covering his wand. He snatched it from the table, looking it over. 

“I’m so sorry I left you behind,” he said. He looked it over, his fingers trailing over its entirety to make sure there were no nicks or scratches. Somehow his wand was okay. No matter how many times he examined it, he couldn’t find a single blemish on it. He let out a sigh of relief. 

“What are you going on about,” Tom muttered from his side of the couch.

“My dad stopped by while we were asleep,” Harry said. “They got the two who kidnapped me from the restaurant, and he brought back my wand.” 

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” The other teen had sat up and began rubbing his eyes. 

“If my wand forgives me for abandoning it.” He also felt conflicted about his father. He wanted to stay mad at him for everything he’d done and hadn’t done the last few days, but he couldn’t deny how happy he was to have his wand back. 

“If I can forgive you for all the times you’ve abandoned me, your wand will be simple.” He kissed Harry on the cheek and stood up. “Does your saint of a godfather keep any food in this house?” 

“Don’t call him that,” Harry said, slipping his wand into his pocket. “But he keeps it in the same place as everyone else, the kitchen.” 

Tom stood there watching Harry until the Gryffindor sighed and got up himself. He started down the hall towards the kitchen, Tom following him. 

“So, what should I consider him,” Tom asked. 

“You know, Remus and Sirius helped me with our relationship earlier, so you should probably be a little more grateful to them,” Harry snapped. 

“Did they now,” Tom asked. He walked past Harry to the fridge and opened it. He pulled out a bottle of Gillywater and shut the door. “And what exactly did they help with, besides managing to keep you in a single location for more than an hour?” 

Harry wanted to strangle Tom for that comment, true as it might be. 

“I’m serious. They explained to me why our differences don’t really matter….” He leaned against the counter, his face heating up. He’d been ready to have this conversation earlier. Why did it seem so hard to have now?

“And what was the amazing answer they gave you?” He removed the lid from the Gillywater and took a drink from it.

“Stop being an arse,” Harry said, finally meeting Tom’s eyes. “They said who a person falls in love with has no reason whatsoever. That you’re probably just as confused as I am. You don’t understand how you could have possibly fallen for someone like me.” 

Tom seemed to consider that for a moment. He stood next to Harry and took another drink from the bottle. 

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” he said. “I cannot for the life of me comprehend why someone as brilliant as myself developed a crush in such a short meeting, on someone as dull witted as you.” Harry glared at him and was about to storm off when Tom wrapped a hand around his wrist. “But I have.” He placed the Gillywater onto the counter and grabbed Harry’s other wrist. “And I would not trade you for anyone. There is never a dull minute around you and every bit of me is constantly put to the test with you.” He pulled Harry towards him until their bodies were touching. “Who else could I possibly be with? You need every bit of my intelligence and strength to help keep you out of trouble.” He kissed Harry gently at first, then harder. 

“Tom…”

“I mean it Harry. Your godparents are right. I don’t understand, but I have loved every second of this relationship, of just being with you. You make me work so hard for everything that even I began doubting myself at times, me.” 

“That must be new for you,” Harry laughed. 

“I feel like everything I’ve learnt until now has been to prepare me to be with you and to keep you safe.” 

“I swear my life is usually normal.” And he prayed it would be normal again soon. So far arriving at Sirius’s house seemed to have fixed everything. He’d gotten everything he’d wanted as soon as he’d gotten there. Food, clean clothes, a warm bed, his wand, and most important, Tom. 

“Well, even if it no longer is, I accept all challenges that comes with being with you.” He chuckled, releasing Harry’s wrist and grabbing his Gillywater. 

Harry watched Tom, his heart pounding. He was sure of it; he was in love with Tom. The rest of the world was as well, it’d just taken him longer, but he actually had a chance. Should he blurt his feelings out? He’d been the one yelling at Tom not to take things too fast and yet here he was, watching Tom’s every move inside his godfather’s kitchen, and wanting to throw the other teen to the floor. He wanted to yell at him his feelings and beg forgiveness for everything, to ask him if they could start over. 

“Pretty sure I’m in love with you,” Harry whispered before burying his head into the nearest cabinet. He started going through the bags of snacks inside with every intention of distracting himself from what he’d just admitted. The words had come out so easily. 

“Hmm?” Tom stopped behind him. 

“I…” He took a deep breath and released it. He couldn’t lie about this. If he didn’t tell Tom how he felt, there was always the chance someone else would, and then he’d lose Tom. “At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite. I think I’m in love with you,” Harry said facing him, his face bright red. 

“I know,” Tom said, nonchalantly. He reached over Harry and grabbed a container of Cadbury chocolate biscuits. When he saw the glare Harry was giving him, he smiled and kissed him. “If you didn’t understand my previous speech, I’m “pretty sure” I just confessed my love to a moment ago.” 

“Oh…”

“You won’t be satisfied unless I say the words outright, will you?” 

“I mean—”

“” Pretty sure” I love you as well.” He opened the container of biscuits and bit down on one. 

“I’m surprised a sweet connoisseur such as yourself would eat a store-bought pudding.” He’d wanted to tell Tom he was happy about his words, but the pudding comment came out instead. He was so pathetic. He’d just declared his love for him, why was the follow up conversation so hard? He was sure things would somehow be different once two people had admitted their love for one another, but Harry felt no different. Perhaps a little disappointed, but mostly, he just wanted to poke at his boyfriend and get a slight rise out of him. 

Tom looked at him curiously as he finished the first biscuit. 

“I’m not that stingy. Besides, Cadbury is good,” he said, holding the container out to Harry. 

Harry took one and sat down at the table.

“Should we talk about this?”

“What’s there to talk about? We are both “pretty sure” we love one another.” He sat down next to Harry. “Is there some sort of hidden problem with that?” 

“No, I just expected a confession to be more…”

“Romantic?” 

Harry shrugged. Was romance what he was looking for? He didn’t quite think so. It was more…

“I feel like we’re joking about it,” he said.

“We could try again in the sitting room,” Tom suggested.

Harry took one look at the serious look on Tom’s face and the biscuit in between his teeth and started laughing. 

“No, I’m good.” 

“Then maybe…” He set the biscuit down and grabbed Harry’s chin, so he had no choice but to look into Tom’s eyes. “I love you.” He released Harry then, smirking at him. “Better?”

Harry looked away, unable to respond. He felt like his body was going to burst into flames, his stomach was swirling in the oddest of ways, not quite like he was sick, it was the same way he’d felt when Cho had said hi to him the first time, only hundreds of times more intense. A feeling of bliss swept any more thoughts away, and he began to laugh. 

“… Are you okay?” Tom was looking at him with concern. 

“F, fine,” Harry managed. He stole a look for his boyfriend, another fit of laughter overtaking him. Perhaps joking had been better.

“You sure about that,” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“This is the best thing that’s happened all summer, all year,” he explained, grinning. Tom’s words had made him happier than when he’d received his award for Best Seeker at Hogwarts. More than when he’d managed to produce a Patronus charm when he was only thirteen. I bet I could cast a ton of Patronus with this memory. For some reason the thought had him laughing again.

“Did my direct confession destroy what little sanity you had left?” He moved a tuft of Harry’s hair away from his eyes. 

“Excuse me for being happy about this,” Harry said.

“I’m happy too,” Tom admitted. “I didn’t quite know where I stood with you until we were in that sitting room. When I came here this afternoon, I was sure you were going to send me away or break it off with me.” 

“Huh?” Harry stopped laughing. Was that why Tom had had such a pained look on his face? Was that why he’d sounded so angry when they first started talking? 

“You kept leaving me, every chance you got. The hotel, the restaurant, the forest, the Ministry. I thought you were trying to stay away from me. I came here thinking our relationship was going to end today, but it didn’t. You invited me inside into your godparents’ house. Your safe zone.” 

“I never considered any of that until you brought it up earlier,” Harry said. “But really? You were going to break it off?”

“I thought you were, but… Mentally, I could not bring myself to chase you anymore. Not with the way I felt each time after you vanished from my sight.” 

Harry had never felt so guilty in his life. He’d brought down the great Tom Riddle without even trying. His legion of fans would kill him if they ever found out. He’d been trying so hard not to get hurt himself and as a result, he’d hurt Tom, badly.

“Sorry.”

“And then I find out, you weren’t even intentionally trying to dodge me,” Tom said with a laugh. “You were simply blindly running.” He set the container of biscuits down and wrapped his arms around Harry.

The simple gesture had Harry’s guilt melting away. He relaxed in Tom’s arms, wondering what he could do to make it up to him. He owed Tom as much as he owed his godfathers. 

“I’ll try and remind myself not to walk off without talking to you first.”

“It would be better if you just stopped walking off,” Tom whispered into his ear. Harry’s entire body jolted at the unexpected action. Tom chuckled, his grip around Harry tightening. “Because I won’t forgive you if you walk off during one of our dates.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Harry protested, trying to turn around in Tom’s arms. The action proved harder to do than he’d thought, and instead he got nowhere. “So now what?” 

“Are you pouting,” Tom asked, taunted really.

“No,” Harry said, but he could hear it in his own voice. “Maybe.” 

“What am I supposed to do with that,” Tom asked, laughing hard. 

Harry flushed, a smile on his face, and placed his head on Tom's shoulder. He couldn't believe how beautiful Tom's laugh was. At least he'd managed to do something right. He wrapped his arms around Tom's shoulders, his eyes closing. Not once had he ever dreamed of happiness like this. Perhaps long ago when he was young, too young to remember now, when Sirius threw him into the air when playing with him, or the first time he’d tried his toy Quidditch broom, but not within his current recollection. 

"Don't fall asleep on me," he said, caressing Harry's hair. "I'm not done with you yet."

"I wished I would have realized it sooner," Harry said.

"Realized what?"

"How much I care about you.”

The laughter stopped, and when Harry glanced up, he could see Tom struggling to regain his composure. His face was bright red, and Harry loved it. The look on his boyfriend's face proved just how much he cared for Harry. That his words held just as much impact for Tom as Tom’s did for Harry.

"So, about that date you promised," Harry said, taking pity on the other teen. "What exactly did you have in mind?" He moved a step back, Tom matching his step and kissing him. 

"Wherever you want," he said. "After the prisoners from Azkaban are captured, because I cannot risk you getting kidnapped again.”

"You always have conditions for our get-togethers. In the morning, once we get back…"

Tom pushed him gently against the counter. He placed one hand behind Harry on the bottom cabinet and kissed him again. 

"I wouldn't have to add stipulations if someone could have a normal life for a few seconds." He kissed Harry again, deeper this time. Harry placed his hands on Tom’s hips.

"Oh, Merlin!"

The two teens looked up just as the kitchen door swung shut. They watched it swing, waiting to see if the person who’d caught them making out would return, but no one reappeared. Instead, the door kept swinging each time a little slower until it stopped altogether. 

"Who was that," Tom asked.

"Not sure," Harry said. He walked towards the door and opened it a crack. A figure was sitting on the steps, their head in their hands. The bushy brown hair gave the person in question away immediately, "Hermione?" He pushed the door open and stepped out into the hall.

"I am so sorry," she said, her face buried into her hands. "No one told me that…" She lifted her face up and choked on her words as Tom came towards them. "Who is he?!"

"Right. Hermione, this is Tom. Tom, this is Hermione." 

"I see your ability to introduce people hasn't improved in the last week," Tom said, shaking his head. He held his hand out. "I'm Tom Riddle, otherwise considered Dumbledore's adoptive son, and currently Harry's boyfriend. You are?" 

"What do you mean currently," Harry demanded.

"O, oh!" Suddenly Hermione was standing, and she took Tom’s hand into her own. "Hermione Granger, Harry's friend from Hogwarts," she said, her eyes focused on Tom. "I had no idea you were so young."

Tom blinked at that. Hermione's reaction did not seem to be what he'd expected.

"Do you and all of your friends live under a rock," he asked Harry, looking genuinely confused. "That guy you were hanging out with, this girl, you. How do none of you know who I am? I can’t even walk into Diagon Alley without an anti glamour charm!”

"I know who you are and all the accomplishments you've made," Hermione said quickly. "I just didn't know you were him."

"Has no one put my picture next to the articles they write about me," Tom asked surprised. “They always take pictures during the interviews.” 

"Isn't that a good thing since you got kidnapped when you were younger," Harry asked. He had a feeling Dumbledore was refusing to let the reporters print the photos, or more likely. The reporters were keeping the photos for themselves. 

Tom gave him a rather dark look.

"And pray tell, who told you that?"

"Sirius," Harry said.

"Of course, the saint would know that," Tom said, scowling. "What else did he mention?" He removed his hand from Hermione and folded his arms across his chest. 

Hermione bit her lip, watching the two of them. Harry wished she’d come at a better time. Perhaps after their make-out session had finished, and Tom’s energy levels had been somewhat depleted. 

“Stop calling him that. You’re just mad none of us are Die-hard fans," Harry said. Were these the kind of fights people had in relationships? _Only if one of them are famous,_ Harry thought bitterly. 

"I am," Hermione said. “Especially on your discovery of the elements of…” her voice trailed off when she noticed the look on Harry’s face.

"Not helping Hermione," Harry said flatly. 

"No, she is," Tom said, waving Harry's words away. "Don't listen to a word he says. He doesn't care about any of my accomplishments, my studies, nothing." He sighed, and showed Hermione a pained expression. “I’m nothing more than a commoner to him.”

“All of us are commoners,” Harry said, not buying Tom’s act for a second. “So, stop messing with her.”

"Her? After all you've put me through, I was trying to screw with you." He moved away from Hermione and smirked when Harry's eyes met his.

“I am so sorry Hermione," Harry said tiredly. "Why are you here, anyway?"

“Right…” She gave her head a firm shake. “I was supposed to come over and check up on you, but I guess that wasn’t needed.” Her words were forced towards the end of her sentence.

“By who? My family knows I’m here and with Tom,” Harry said.

“Your mother,” Hermione said.

“Right.” Harry had to stop himself from lashing out at Hermione. She was just trying to be a good friend. She had no idea what was going on, because he hadn’t told her anything after his first letter about running into a jerk at a bookstore and asking her to tutor him. What was his mother trying to get at? Was she suddenly against him dating Tom? Hoping that if he saw Hermione, he might remember there were females living in his world? Or was she hoping that Tom would fall for Hermione? “Whatever she told you, ignore it.”

“Why?” It was a reasonable question and Harry wished he had a reasonable answer. His mother no longer seemed to be someone he could trust with anything. Maybe he was just naïve. Maybe his mother, or either of his parents really, had ever been trustworthy. He’d just thought so because they were his family.

“A lot of stuff has happened since the last time I’ve written you,” he said, staring at the wall in front of him. The mirror with its ornament silver frame was still hanging in the same spot it had for years, the wooden side table beneath it that housed many of Sirius’ smaller joke items so he could grab them on at the last second so Remus wouldn’t find out. Of course, Remus always did. _Can I trust my godparents_? He shook his head, dislodging the thought immediately. His godparents were the only adults he could trust.

“Obviously,” Hermione said, her eyes flicking to Tom. 

“Not just him,” Harry said, though he would need to explain to her how that had happened. “I managed to get kidnapped by the prisoners that escaped Azkaban. Sirius told me to stay here.” He sat down on the steps, Tom sitting down beside him immediately on the same step. He wasted no time in wrapping his arm around Harry’s waist. “Pretty sure she knows where I stand after seeing us in the kitchen,” Harry said.

“Why risk it,” Tom asked coldly. 

“I’m not after Harry,” Hermione said, her voice even. “He’s not my type.” 

“But Tom is,” Harry said, the other two teens looking surprised. “I don’t know what’s gotten into my mother, but lately she’s been driving me mad. She’s against me being an Auror, she’s starting fights with my dad. I have a feeling she was hoping Tom would take an interest in you over me once he met you.”

“Why do you think that,” Tom asked.

“Because Hermione’s a genius and Ron’s from a wizarding family. He could have used Floo powder,” Harry said frowning. 

“I’m not a genius,” Hermione said, her cheeks bright pink. “But that does sound rather odd. Usually your parents are quite open to your choices.” She sat down on the step just below the other two. “Has she been doing anything else odd?” 

“No… maybe,” Harry said, frowning as he tried to think. He didn’t know his parents as well as he’d thought that much he had learned, so what was odd for her? “She made us have dinner with the Dursleys, but that’s not really odd, just annoying.” 

“I believe I made up for that,” Tom said, giving Harry a quick kiss on the cheek. 

“You only got away with it, because you spoke French,” Harry said. “Which you better teach me while you’re tutoring me in everything else. I could have been saved a lot of trouble in that village if I had known French.” 

“Harry… isn’t your mother fluent in French,” Hermione asked uneasily. 

_… Come to think of it…_

“Yeah, she is,” Harry said, frowning. 

“If she knew any French at all, she would have known what I was doing,” Tom said. “The waiter specifically asked if I hated your family, and I told him I hated the giraffe and the two pigs. There is no way she wouldn’t have known who I was talking about.” 

“So… either she knew,” Hermione started. 

“There’s no way she knew,” Harry said. “She didn’t react at all when Tom said anything in French, and she ran out in tears after everything happened.”

“Your father liked my work,” Tom said, smirking. 

“My father likes anything that ruins the Dursleys life,” Harry sighed. He did too, but that wasn’t the point right now.

“You’re both missing the point,” Hermione said, impatiently. “Your mother, who is fluent in French, didn’t understand Tom’s conversation.”

“Maybe she’s just rusty,” Harry said. “I doubt she speaks it every day.”

“Harry, she’d have to speak it at her job,” Hermione said. “You have to be fluent in at least two languages to work at St. Mungo’s. Don’t you know anything about your mother’s job?” 

“So, it wasn’t really Harry’s mother,” Tom said.

“What,” Harry asked. 

“No, I don’t think it was,” Hermione said, frowning.

(TBC)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, everyone who’s taken the time to review, to kudos, to favorite, to anything. Thank you. I truly appreciate it. As a writer, it brings me great joy when people enjoy something I’ve written. I hope everyone continues to enjoy or at least be amused by this story.  
Sorry if this one isn't as actioned packed. I thought Harry deserved one more chapter to catch is breath.  
Warnings: This story is shounen-ai, slash, yaoi, gay. Harry and Tom are dating.  
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

"I don't know. This sounds crazy," Harry said, standing up. "Why would anyone pretend to be my mum? No one would gain anything from it." His mother wasn't exactly important, just a healer among thousands of other healers. They respected her at work and Harry knew from experience that the Auror Department considered her input whenever she offered it, but not enough to make someone impersonate her. 

His father, Remus, and Sirius thought she was smart. Harry had walked in a few times when his mother and Remus were talking about some theory or another and hadn't been able to keep up with any of it. But his mother was not in a position of power. She didn't have the ear of anyone important. The most she could do was not heal someone or screw the healing up, but she rarely healed anyone important. 

He let out a frustrated sigh. How many people had to worry about this kind of thing? 

"Harry," Tom said, placing a hand on Harry's arm. "You’re thinking about this the wrong way."

"He is," Hermione asked, curiously. 

"What did you tell me about the kidnappers?" He moved his hand from Harry’s arm and took his hand. 

Harry ran over his many conversations in his head, both what he remembered hearing from his kidnappers and what he'd told Tom. His mind kept wandering back to Tom and the warmth of his hand. His eyes widened when he realized what Tom meant.

"They want my dad to panic."

"They probably want your entire family to panic," Tom said. "Let’s try taking this from the start. When’s the first time you noticed any strange behavior?”

“I don’t know, I guess as soon as school ended,” Harry said standing up. He began walking back and forth in front of the stairs, trying to think if there were any signs that his family had been off. “They forgot me at the train station and they’ve never done that before. Dad’s not exactly known for keeping track of time, but mum is.” He frowned, turning to Tom and Hermione. “They’ve basically written me off this whole summer. All my past holidays, we’ve spent the entire time together, or I was with Sirius and Remus.”

“Okay. So, we’re going to assume for a moment that Harry’s parents were not his parents since before he arrived home,” Tom said.

Harry nodded, his stomach knotting up. How could this have happened? How could he not have noticed?

“But… the prisoners broke out of Azkaban days after I returned home,” Harry said. “Not before.”

“They must have had someone on the outside working with them to get out in the first place,” Hermione said. “It’s safe to assume that that person or people are the ones responsible for taking your parents.”

“Wait, so you think both of my parents were kidnapped,” Harry asked. Had his father been any different? He was closer to his father than his mother. Probably because James acted more like a friend than a parent. He’d received a couple of chocolate frogs from his father two weeks prior to the end of the term. They had released a new series of cards and they had wanted to get started collecting them right away. They’d been sending him letters once a week, as they always had. His godparents had written nothing, saying his parents had been acting strange before he’d left. That meant at the very least, no one had been kidnapped before the end of the school year.

He didn’t think his father had been acting strange at all since he’d gotten home. Harry couldn’t think of any time since he’d gotten home that his dad had acted off. The joking, the ice cream, the comments. All of that seemed right for his dad’s attitude. If his mum had been taken and impersonated, wouldn’t his father have noticed?

“Argh!” He turned, just as Hermione and Tom looked at him. “I don’t know,” he admitted, feeling like a complete arse. He didn’t know if his parents were any different from usual. The sad truth was, he didn’t know them well enough. Could he justify his lack of knowledge due to being away at Hogwarts? Or was he just that bad of a son? I could probably tell if Sirius or Remus were off, he thought, his shoulders slumping. He was sure he’d know within seconds if his godparents had been replaced or were, they just as unknown to him? Maybe he just thought he knew his family.

“You need to tell Sirius and Remus what’s going on,” Hermione said. “Or what we think is possibly going on.”

“Yeah… Sirius would definitely know if my dad is off.” He frowned, an idea screaming in his mind that he didn’t want to believe it. There was no way it was true. Not a single chance. He could deny it all he wanted though, and it wouldn’t change the warning sign flashing before him now. “Even if my dad didn’t notice my mum was off...Remus would have.” Remus and his mother were close enough. Sirius and his father had ditched Remus and his mother so many times, they’d had no choice but to become friends.

His heart beat faster as the thought snapped into the messed-up puzzle called his life. They couldn’t have taken his godparents.

“It just depends if your godparents have seen your parents since the swap,” Tom suggested. He didn’t seem to know if he should get up and come to Harry or not.

“But my dad works with Sirius,” Harry said. There was no way for this to work halfway. Either his parents and godparents were all imposters, or none of them were. This could all be a paranoid delusion brought on by his constant assault of awful luck and stress from the start of the summer. Hell, maybe he’d just inhaled too much mold, and it had decayed a bit of his brain. That seemed far more plausible than his entire family having been kidnapped and replaced. They weren’t Harry, they wouldn’t just walk into some stupid trap. All four of them were far too strong, far too smart to do something like that. Hermione and Tom were just wrong on all accounts. There were no imposters. His mother was just disappointed in him and all the stupid choices he’d made.

“Even if we’re wrong, we should still tell someone,” Hermione said. “Just in case.”

“And when they take us to St. Mungo’s,” Harry asked. “Because without any proof, they’re going to think we’re mad.” Even he thought they were mad. His family was far too integrated into the Wizarding community for no one to not notice any changes in their behavior.

Hermione made a face, but the look of determination never left her.

“So, we put together our ideas, let them know our hypothesis,” she started.

“Look, I think that you two trying to make me think my parents were kidnapped and replaced by imposters to make me feel better is great, but—”

“How does that make you feel better,” Tom asked.

“Because the alternative is, they hardly care about me at all.” It meant his mother was far more worried about his career path and studies than his well being. That his father, not wanting to have any more confrontations than required with his mother, was okay with letting her try to control Harry’s life. That both his parents were willing to cut ties with him the second he did something that upset his mother. Had his godparents known how heartless his parents had become, or had they always been that way?

“Harry, you know that’s not true,” Hermione said. She stood up as if standing would somehow make him believe her more.

“I really appreciate both of you coming to check up on me, but you guys should leave.” Harry needed some time to truly think about everything. If Hermione or Tom were around, he’d keep getting distracted and that wouldn’t bring him any closer to the truth about his parents. A part of him didn’t want to be alone though. It worried him just how far he might plummet if he allowed his thoughts to run wild.

“You can’t be serious,” Hermione started. “Your—”

“I can’t just accuse my parents of being imposters, because I don’t like the way they’re acting,” he said. Convenient? Definitely. Morally, right? Not really. “We have no proof. The Aurors won’t do anything.” If the Auror department went after every tip given to them, they’d never accomplish anything. Sometimes they’d look into things with no proof of what they were told seemed serious enough, but this? A kid claiming his parents had been replaced with Merlin, knows who, because they weren’t getting along? Parents scolded their children all the time for poor grades, for not living up to their expectations. His parents hadn’t, but now that he was older, they probably thought it time that he faced reality. He needed to get over whatever idea he had for his life because they had more experience and knew what was best. 

He cringed at the thought. _I can’t live like that. _It wasn’t his duty to be miserable for the rest of his life so his mother could proudly tell everyone what a prestigious job he had. 

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone,” Tom said. “Every time I do, you get lost or kidnapped. Merlin knows what you could get yourself into next.”

Harry’s face flushed at the words. The possibilities of things that could go wrong were limitless. He didn’t think he’d get kidnapped again and there was no way he’d get lost in Sirius’ house, but other problems could occur. A dragon might decide to take over the city and burn the house down while he slept. His O.W.L. results could arrive. Then he’d have no choice, but to face facts and start studying, because taking all his fifth-year classes over, besides Defense, while all of his friends moved on to sixth-year courses, was mortifying. Not even his father, who admitted to spending all his time playing pranks rather than studying, had outright failed any of his classes. No one would let him live it down. He’d probably get kicked off the Quidditch team. His mother would flat out disown him. Anything else to add?

“I’ll be fine,” he muttered. As long as he kept himself distracted the entire night. Summer. Rest of his life, while he wallowed in self-pity because he never graduated from Hogwarts. 

“Really,” Tom asked. He got up and wrapped his arms around Harry. “I seem to remember us agreeing that you were not to ever leave my sight again?”

“You agreed to that, not me.”

“Well, that's half the battle, and since I outrank you in… everything. My choice wins.”

“Harry stared at Tom, an urge to hit him rising within. What good would it do to hit him though? He already knew Tom was physically stronger than him. There was no way Harry could have lifted Tom out of the police car so easily. Besides, Tom for some crazy reason seemed to actually enjoy Harry’s company. He probably shouldn’t anger him. The list of people who cared for Harry was pretty short.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh.

“Talk some sense into him,” she said looking at Tom. “I’m going to go home and write down everything we suspect and why. I’ll be back tomorrow morning and then we’re going to the Ministry of Magic to report this unless you can prove to me that nothing’s wrong.”

“Sure, take the easy job,” Tom said.

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. “Just be careful.”

“We will,” Tom said.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Harry added.

With a final nod, Hermione headed towards the front door. They followed her, only stopping when they reached the doorway.

“See you both bright and early in the morning.” She unlocked the door and stepped outside. The night was fast approaching. There was a loud CRACK, and she was gone.

“She’s in your year,” Tom asked.

“Yeah.”

“Impressive.” Tom shut the door and locked it.

“Yeah,” Harry said, quieter this time. Hermione was always impressive. She tried hard in all her classes, read everything she could ahead of time to get the advantage. She was smart and probably on her way to becoming the next Minister of Magic, right after Tom retired from the position. “She’s read all the papers you’ve published.” He started up the steps, Tom following him.

“I’m just glad someone you know is actually aware of who I am. I was beginning to wonder if the world had forgotten who I was.” 

“How could anyone forget you,” Harry asked a little harsher than he’d intended. Tom raised an eyebrow at him. He looked away, his face burning yet again. “Sorry…”

“Your confidence will improve once I start tutoring you,” Tom said. “The only reason you have self-esteem issues is that you don’t understand how to think things through logically.”

Harry was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. His low self-esteem had come with years of his peers ignoring him until he won the Best Seeker’s award. For, all the times he’d been made fun of for failing in Potions. And recently for the lack of affection his parents had for him. And getting kidnapped so easily. There was a lot more he could add, but he was depressed enough already.

“I guess,” Harry said. They went up the stairs, and Harry opened the door to his bedroom. He walked in wishing he’d had a chance to remove a few items so his room wouldn’t look so childish, but he’d never thought Tom would be in his room. Not so soon anyway.

"Interesting room," Tom muttered. He took in the whole room slowly. 

“Belt it,” Harry snapped. “If you want someone with a mature room, go to Hermione’s.”

Tom raised an eyebrow at that, and Harry looked away. So, his bedroom was covered in Quidditch posters of different players and teams that he enjoyed. They weren’t hurting anyone. Well, sometimes they flew into one another as they zoomed from one poster to another. Harry had woken up more than once in the past to a shouting match between players, but they always stopped when he shouted at them to shut up or he’d rip the posters off the wall.

The floor was kind of mature. He didn’t have any Quidditch themed rugs or anything on it. The small wooden desk only had the necessities for writing, but it was feeble looking even to him. Sirius had offered to buy him a better one once he’d gotten old enough to stop accidentally setting fires to that one, but he’d refused. He wasn’t writing novels or anything.

There were a few small wooden shelves on the wall, each of them holding miniature models of broomsticks. Until a few seconds ago, he’d been proud to own all of them, but two. Now that Tom was inspecting every inch of his personal dwelling, he wanted to throw himself out the window. 

“And what exactly does a mature room look like,” Tom asked.

“I don’t know,” Harry groaned, dropping onto his bed. “No Quidditch? Scenery paintings? Knowing you, you probably have portraits of philosophers or something and talk with them about the secrets of life until you fall asleep.” 

“The image you have of me in your head,” Tom snickered sitting down next to him on the bed. “I also see why you weren’t worried about the paper and ink you purchased. You’re used to working with low-quality things, aren’t you?”

Scowling, Harry grabbed his pillow and hit Tom in the face with it. The teen laughed as he snatched it from Harry. He placed it behind his head and lied down.

“Git.”

“My room is empty,” Tom said after a brief silence.

“Huh?” Empty? No one had an empty room. 

“It’s empty. I have a bed, a duvet, and a couple of pillows. Besides that, there’s nothing in there.”

Harry made a face.

“Everyone has something in their room,” Harry said.

“All the books I have are in the library. We keep all of our quills, ink, and parchment in there as well. They’re on a solid oak writing desk,” he said, smirking. 

Harry rolled his eyes. “Of course you do.”

“My clothes are kept magically sealed in a separate closet, so they stay fresh because I’m hardly ever home to wear them. Any other miscellaneous objects are in the study or wherever they appropriately belong.”

“Isn’t that boring?” Harry flipped onto his side so he could look at his boyfriend. My boyfriend is in my bed…. Tom’s relaxing profile was enough to make his breath catch. 

“I don’t think I’ve stayed at home more than a handful of hours since I was eleven, so I’ve never had to worry about that.”

“What about before that?”

Tom frowned.

“I slept more in the library than my bedroom, so I never had the urge to put anything in it.”

“I’m not here much, or at home, but my parents and godparents keep rooms for me.” For some reason, it made Harry sad to think that Tom’s room was empty. Even if his boyfriend didn’t sleep in it much, everyone needed a place to call their own. Somewhere they could go and lock the rest of the world out. A room to put all their cherished belongings in so they’d be safe. “Do you not like being with Dumbledore?”

Tom turned his gaze from the ceiling where he’d been watching a Quidditch player perform a rather daring flip to Harry, a surprised look on his face.

“It’s not that… I just always found research to be more important.” 

“Even researchers have rooms,” Harry protested. He felt like Tom was trying to keep something from him, and he wanted to know what.

“They do,” Tom agreed. “But I wasn’t researching at home, I was researching in other parts of the world.” He copied Harry by turning onto his side. “Because you are so ill-informed, I will share with you, for free, a short overview of my biography.”

“If you made me pay for your biography, I’d break up with you.” It was about time he told Harry something. He’d had asked back at F.A.I.R.Y. about Tom and been denied all information. Had they had a normal conversation, instead of only talking about Harry, maybe he wouldn’t have pegged Tom as someone just trying to screw with him. Granted, the idea of buying Tom’s biography was tempting. He wanted Tom to tell him things, but the biography might fill in a few things. “If I bought one would you autograph it?”

“Don’t bother, you wouldn’t learn much,” Tom laughed. His gaze went back to the Quidditch players. “Dumbledore adopted me a few months before I turned five. By then I had already been deemed a freak by the fellow orphans. Unlike them—”

“You could use magic,” Harry said, grinning. Even at a young age, magic was known to show itself. Tom’s magical ability had probably manifested early on, given his talent with it. 

“No,” Tom said, his face neutral. “I could read.”

Harry had to do a double take.

“You could read...?”

“I suppose to them it was like I could do magic. I was already reading short books with few pictures drawn inside. You would think they would have been thrilled that I could read. They asked for plenty of bedtime stories from the caretakers there. But when they found out I could, they stopped playing with me.”

“That’s a dumb reason,” Harry said. He felt defensive of his boyfriend. How dare anyone, young kids or not, treat Tom like that?

Tom shrugged. “Kids are dumb.” 

“Yeah they are,” Harry said. He wished he would have known Tom when he was younger. Dumbledore could have brought him around the few times he’d stopped by for holidays. Tom could have played with Ron and him. They wouldn’t have given Tom a hard time for reading. At least, he didn’t think so.

A blush crossed Tom’s face. 

“...I was… thrilled to get adopted before the other fools. Dumbledore had found my name on the Hogwarts class list and upon realizing there was a wizard in a Muggle orphanage, had the common sense to remove me from it. Originally, I was supposed to be staying with his younger brother, but after staying two nights at the Hog’s Head, he sent me back to Dumbledore.”

“What’d you do,” Harry asked, grinning. “Read to the customers?”

“Started talking to the snakes that snuck into the Hog’s Head in front of the customers,” Tom corrected him.

Harry tried to hold back a laugh and failed. He could just imagine a little Tom sitting on the floor of the Hog’s Head Inn, customers having no choice but to walk around him, a small snake in his lap. 

_I want to see Tom as a five-year-old_. He wondered if he could convince the headmaster to show him photos from when Tom was five or six, or at any young age. Surely Dumbledore had some hiding somewhere. As his boyfriend, he was entitled to see that, right? 

“Dumbledore tried finding somewhere else for me to go, but even the wizarding orphanages wouldn’t take me once they found out I was a parselmouth. Eventually, he gave up and decided to keep me.” He had a bitter smile on his face now. “Since he was the headmaster at Hogwarts, he brought in private tutors and caretakers to look after me during the school year. Upon starting my official schooling, I grew bored, fast. None of the classes were challenging, and I was ditching more than attending. Finally, he put me into third-year classes.”

“What house did you get sorted into,” Harry asked.

“That’s what you’re interested in,” Tom asked with a small laugh. “Slytherin. That’s right, you’re a Gryffindor. Will this be a problem?”

No surprise there, but Harry hadn’t been completely sure. Tom could have been in Ravenclaw with his talents. “My team might never forgive me if they find out, but I’m willing to risk the scandal,” Harry said. He gave Tom a quick kiss. 

“You know the rest. I graduated early, went on to win the nationals in dueling. From there I started traveling to work under famous researchers or other witches and wizards. From time to time had my life threatened because I was Dumbledore’s adopted son.”

“You make it sound so normal,” Harry laughed. If anyone else had lived a life like this, they would have probably become a quite different person. He didn’t know anyone who could be so confident now after having been adopted from an orphanage, just to get shuffled around, until the original adopter had to take them back. 

“It is normal, for me anyway.”

That was true. Everyone had their own way of defining normal, but that didn’t make any of it right. 

“So how did you end up a sweet connoisseur,” Harry asked wanting to change the subject. The faraway look in Tom’s eyes made him uncomfortable. His boyfriend didn’t need to dwell on the pains of his childhood when he was so successful now. 

“Believe it or not, Dumbledore’s obsession with puddings rubbed off on me. I had very high standards for the desserts served to me by the time I started traveling. After being in one place for a while and trying all the puddings in a given area, people just assumed I knew what was good and what wasn’t. They started asking me what I recommended.”

“I… believe that,” Harry said laughing.

“Why would I lie,” Tom asked.

“It just doesn’t sound true.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Tell me about your life.” He grabbed Harry’s hand and held it.

“Nothing like yours. I was born. I liked flying even when I was young. Got into Hogwarts. Barely passed any of my classes besides Defense. I made it onto the Quidditch team by a complete fluke thanks to Draco. I was friends with Ron before school, his dad works at the Ministry too. We met Hermione on the train. No one else talks to us much. I guess they do now since I won the Best Seeker’s award.”

“Draco is the one you were with at the bookstore and the one you tried to use to avoid me at F.A.I.R.Y.?”

“Yeah, that was Draco,” Harry said. 

“You didn’t name him amongst your friends. Do I need to be worried?” Harry nearly lost it when Tom’s eyebrow arched up. He was too damn perfect looking. 

“I don’t know what you’d call him. We talk outside of school if we run into each other, but we aren’t friends at school. His father won’t let him have anything to do with Ron, because they don’t hate Muggles and they’re kind of poor. Hermione is Muggle-born, so she’s off-limits too. His father sort of tolerates me, because my father is from old money and blood, but we don’t hate Muggles either. He spends most of his time driving us crazy at school to keep his father happy.” 

“That is an odd relationship,” Tom said. “Anyone I should be worried about in general then?”

“Not that I’m aware of. My popularity only grew towards the end of this year, because of the Quidditch award. I ignored most of them because I knew they were only interested in the award.”

“Most of them,” Tom asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

“A girl I used to have a crush on started talking to me. We talked a few times.”

“Meaning, I should be worried,” Tom said.

“The way I feel about you makes what I felt about her seem like nothing.”

Tom sighed and sat up, giving the room another look over. He looked agitated, restless. His eyes not quite taking in what was in front of him. He didn’t even seem to notice his grip on Harry’s hand had tightened. 

“There isn’t a single person at Hogwarts worth losing you for,” Harry said. To think that Tom was as insecure as he was. It was completely unfounded. Tom, Mr. Perfect. Who would ever choose anyone over Tom? 

“This room suits you,” he muttered. “What about your other room?”

“Stuffy,” Harry said, immediately. He hated that Tom changed the subject because it was obvious Harry and the people he spoke to bothered him. It wasn’t like he could stop talking to everyone though. “It has a few Quidditch posters, and a comfortable bed, but my mum decorated it. And because you’re so worried. I have a more expensive desk over there.” 

“That’s good...” 

Tom still wasn’t looking at him, his tone somewhat sad. 

“I’m going to go downstairs and sleep on the couch.” He bent down and kissed Harry. “I will see you in the morning.” 

“You’re not staying in here,” Harry asked, sitting up. They’d just shared a normal, and enjoyable time, and he was just going to leave? He couldn’t leave, not when he was acting so sad. His heart sped up. “You don’t have to go downstairs.”

“We have to be ready to go to the Ministry in the morning with Hermione.” 

“I really don’t think my mum, or my dad for that matter, have been impersonated.” 

“Even if they aren’t, I’d rather take the precaution of letting others know. I told you that I’d protect you and informing others of a possible problem is a part of that. It’s why I made myself tell your family you were kidnapped before I left to get you. Just in case something went wrong, and I failed.” 

“Fine,” Harry sighed. If it would make Tom happy, they could go file an insane report that would get them thrown out of the Ministry of Magic. The worst thing that could happen would be all three of them getting sent to St. Mungo’s to get their brains checked. He’d endured worse in the last few weeks. “You still don’t have to leave.” Tom finally looked at him. “I want you to stay here. And.” He took a breath and gathered up his courage because he knew Tom needed to hear what he was thinking. He moved onto his knees, his eyes locking with Tom’s. “Look. Back at F.A.I.R.Y. I lied.”

“What,” Tom asked. A flash of fear crossed his face.

“I acted like us being together was no big deal. The truth is, I thought you were hot, even at the bookstore. When I fell on you the next morning….” His face was burning badly now. “I wanted you to like me, from the minute we met. I just didn’t think you’d ever give me the chance or if you did, it would just be to screw with me. You have nothing to worry about from anyone, okay?” 

Tom nodded slowly.

“Good, so don’t leave.” He pulled the duvet up from the foot of the bed and inched closer to his boyfriend, their bodies touching. 

“You’re so manipulative,” Tom whispered. He wrapped his arms around Harry, his face inches from the top of Harry’s head. 

“Me,” Harry demanded. “You’re the most manipulative person I’ve ever met,” he shouted. 

Tom chuckled at that.

“You can thank Dumbledore for that.” He inhaled deeply. “You do smell better now.”

“How did I fall for you,” Harry groaned. He lifted his head and kissed Tom.

(X)

Harry yawned, wondering yet again how long they’d be at St. Mungo’s for the outrageous claim they were about to make. He’d hoped that’d he’d wake up to Remus and Sirius at home, but no luck. This may have possibly been a good thing because even though Tom and he had just snogged the night before, he wasn’t sure if his godparents would believe him. They’d almost gone past the point of no return when Tom stopped them. He was both grateful and disappointed. He knew it was too soon to do something like that. They hadn’t even had one proper date yet, but his brain had shut off last night and hadn’t cared about such trivial things. 

Hermione had arrived bright and early just as she claimed she would, well before eight in the morning. Tom had managed to convince her to let them at least have breakfast before running off to the Ministry. After all, there was no telling how long they’d be waiting to file the report and they needed food if they were going to keep their wits about them. Harry thanked his boyfriend by cooking all of them eggs and sausage. 

Upon arriving, Hermione had been told she had to wait downstairs. The Auror department was in a partial lockdown due to the escaped prisoners. They let Harry in with a single glance since he was James’ son and Sirius’s godson. Tom had to show the wizard at the front desk a piece of paper. When the wizard tapped it, a green light flew from it to Tom’s wand showing he was considered a temporary Auror.

Now they were sitting in the Auror’s department in some chairs waiting for the first available Auror to talk to. They’d almost been turned away until Harry had told them he was there to give his side of the story for the kidnapping. When they checked and found out he hadn’t given a statement the day before, they’d shuffled the two teens to the side to wait. And so they’d been waiting. Some of the Aurors that passed them by greeted Harry. More of them greeted Tom.

“To think you brought in two escaped prisoners! By yourself,” a new Auror Harry had never met gushed. He was practically throwing himself into Tom’s lap, not that Tom seemed to mind. 

_I’m going to go crazy just sitting here_. Harry stood up and started walking through the maze of desks. The other Aurors in the room paid him no mind. They were used to seeing him in the department. He went straight to his father’s desk, shaking his head when he saw the chaos spread across it. Case files of all the escaped prisoners were sprawled out on top of each other, some of the papers sticking out of the folders. A row of Post-it notes wrapped around the edge of his desk from one side to the other, a few on the phone, a couple on James’ quill holder. All of them had quick notes jotted down such as Lily needs flour and Bring home orange juice. 

Someone whistled behind Harry.

“What in the hell… is this a desk,” Tom asked. 

“Dad’s,” Harry said, grinning. He enjoyed the shock on his boyfriend’s face. 

“How does he get anything done,” he asked, his voice full of awe. 

Harry shrugged. He grabbed the top folder and opened it. A picture of Mather looked back at him. Under his personal information was a list of his crimes, most of them related to kidnapping Muggles. Harry read the entire list, surprised that Mather had only been convicted for kidnapping and stealing. He flipped through the file. No one had ever accused him of torturing anyone. 

_He takes people knowing full well they’re going to get hurt,_ Harry thought, dropping the file back onto the desk. The file did seem to match Mather’s personality. He’d been nice as far as kidnappers could go and he’d made sure Harry was fed. He’d even kept Brian from hitting him once when the other wizard had been throwing a fit.

“That’s one of the guys who jumped me at the restaurant.” 

Tom looked over Harry’s shoulder. Harry set the folder down and grabbed the next one. This one had Brian in it. Brian’s list of criminal activities was varied compared to Mather’s. Kidnapping, stealing, extortion, smuggling. There was only a single account of assault, which was against an Auror. 

The next file had the blonde who’d been impersonating a Muggle cop. His name was Nikolas and his crimes included a lengthy list of assaults and attempted murders. He set the file down, not wanting to finish it. The brunette fake cop named Gale had almost the same list of crimes. There was more than one assault charge, though. 

Harry was beginning to see just how lucky he’d been to be found by the two idiots he had rather than his second group of kidnappers. He’d been in serious danger when the second two grabbed him and hadn’t even known it. Thank Merlin, Tom had….

His boyfriend had grabbed the last two folders on the desk and was sitting in James’ chair. 

“There isn’t much security in here, is there,” Tom asked. He turned the page in the file without looking up.

“They know I’m on track to become an Auror. I’m technically involved in the case. My dad and godfather work here,” he said, ticking his reasons off. 

Tom’s eyes flicked up to Harry over the file. “You’re a minor with no clearance what-so-ever. You’re going to tell me they allow you to read confidential files all the time?” 

“No, but… It’s because they gave you arresting powers,” Harry said, gritting his teeth and hating every word. Once again Tom had out shown him. 

“That makes more sense.” Tom disappeared again behind the file folder. 

“So, there’s two more people, right? Milan and Alexandre?”

“Mmhmm.” 

“Let me see their pictures. It’d be nice to know who I should be avoiding.” 

Tom set the file he’d been reading wide open on James’ desk. A skinny man with black hair and sunken gray eyes was on the paper. Alexandre’s list of crimes went down the entire paper and onto a second page. None of them pleasant. 

“This guy I’ve read about. He was a big-time criminal before he got involved with Milan.” 

“Yeah?” Tom handed Harry the last file. He began scanning the first page, his heart stopping. Smiling happily in the arresting photo was a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His eyes jumped to the name. He read it again, not believing it. “Milan had me,” Harry said slowly. He placed the folder down on the desk, not quite sure how to process the information.

“What,” Tom asked.

“Milan… he was the man in the village I stayed at overnight…” He hadn’t even realized he was shaking until Tom’s arms went around him. “He let me go because he thought the other two wouldn’t lose me…If you hadn’t…”

“This is why I can’t leave you alone,” Tom hissed quietly. 

Milan would have probably had me killed, he thought. 

“What are you two doing?” Harry and Tom both turned. An exhausted and disheveled Sirius was looking at them. “You shouldn’t be going through James’ stuff… why are you so pale?” Sirius’s attempt at being authoritative dropped as he walked towards them. “James didn’t have something weird in his desk, did he?” He frowned then. “Why are you even here anyway? I told you to stay home.”

“We need to go somewhere private,” Tom said. He lowered his voice when a few Aurors looked their way. “Things might be a bit worse than originally thought.” 

Sirius sighed and nodded. He looked even more tired now. “We have a room in back, it has a silencing charm on it so no one can hear.” 

They made their way to the room. Harry felt horrible for having to drop this on Sirius right now. His godfather looked like he’d gone through hell since he’d last seen him. Sirius deserved some sleep. Didn’t they have anyone else who could take his place for a few hours?

We should have brought them breakfast, Harry scolded himself.

Sirius opened the door, letting Tom and Harry walk in ahead of him. He walked in, shut the door, and just about collapsed into one of the chairs. 

“You need to get some sleep,” Harry said.

“Tell that to the escapees. Maybe they’ll turn themselves in so I can,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. 

“Are you awake enough to process anything,” Tom asked.

Harry and Sirius glared at Tom. Sirius broke first a moment later and started laughing.

“We’ll find out.” He sat up in the chair, looking a smidge more alert, and leaned back in it, the two front legs hovering two feet in the air. “You two didn’t get married while Remus and I were off tracking down bad guys, right?”

“No,” Harry snapped. 

“Good, because we want to be there for it,” Sirius said.

“Focus,” Tom warned Harry. “This is serious. Milan had Harry.”

SLAM.

Sirius’s chair hit the floor. Tom and Harry both jumped, and Sirius was suddenly wide awake.

“What do you mean Milan had Harry?” 

“After I got away from Brian and Mather, I ended up in a small village. The villagers thought I was an escaped prisoner and held me overnight. They’re the ones who called the police to come and get me, only it was two more prisoners who showed up, not the police.” Sirius nodded as Harry spoke. “The one man there who could speak English and was bringing me food, it was Milan.” 

“… You’re sure,” Sirius asked.

“I saw his picture in the file on dad’s desk.” 

“Shite…” Sirius let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Kingsley mentioned a place in the middle of nowhere. It had like four buildings. Everyone there was dead. We didn’t think it had anything to do with the prisoners because there was a wizard family among them. Milan only kills Muggles.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Shite. We screwed up.” 

“What about impersonating,” Tom asked.

And they’d finally made it to the insane part. Sirius was going to hear Tom’s crazy theory and tell them to go home. That they obviously needed sleep more than he did. That Harry really needed to man up and not accuse his parents of being imposters, because they weren’t seeing eye to eye.

“Impersonating? Well, Gale and Nikolas were dressed up as Muggle police—”

“Polyjucie,” Tom said. 

“I haven’t heard anything like that. Why?” He eyed the two of them wearily. 

Harry wished there was something he could do for his godfather. If the Ministry wasn’t going to let the Aurors sleep, they at least deserved some Pepperup potion. A calming draught would probably help to, because on top of everything else, Harry had to tell his godfather his mother might have been kidnapped too.

“Hermione and Tom think mum might have been kidnapped,” Harry said. “And that someone’s been impersonating her.” Best to just say it so Sirius could focus on the far more probable problem before them. That Milan knew what Harry looked like and did indeed want him. “I don’t think they have been. I think she’s just disappointed I haven’t been studying hard enough,” Harry added quickly. 

Sirius’s frown deepened. 

“Has either of his parents been acting strange,” Tom asked.

“Maybe,” Sirius said, choosing his words with care. “I found it odd they both forget to get Harry from the train station.” 

“Dad might, mum wouldn’t,” Harry said.

“Has James ever forgotten you anywhere,” Sirius asked. 

Harry tried to remember if he had. His father always picked him up from Ron’s house. He’d been the one to get Harry when he was at Hermoine’s. Despite his dad’s awful timekeeping, whenever they planned to do something together, his father was always on time, save a minute or two. He’d never once left Harry anywhere long enough to cause him to panic and fear the worse for his parents. 

“No,” Harry said. “He hasn’t.” 

“Exactly. James goes out of his way to make sure he spends as much time with you as he can.” 

Harry nodded, his face red with embarrassment. It was nice to hear that his father cared for him so much, that he wanted to spend time with Harry. 

“Lily is a bit more complicated,” Sirius said. “She gets obsessed worrying over Harry’s future sometimes, but I think she knows you aren’t changing your mind about becoming an Auror.” 

“I’m more concerned that I ordered a meal in French for his mother’s side of the family and she didn’t know what I was ordering. Hermione said, Lily knows French,” Tom said. 

“Oh, the Dursley dinner fiasco,” Sirius asked, now grinning from ear to ear. “James told me about that. Said he couldn’t have done it better himself and he owed you for ruining their evening.” 

“Didn’t dad find it odd mum didn’t understand the French Tom used,” Harry asked. 

“… Actually, no, he didn’t,” Sirius said. 

“So, it is possible that something’s off about them,” Tom said. 

“I guess so. I know James is tired, more than I am.” He stood up from the chair and began pacing. No doubt an attempt to stay awake. “He’s been working nonstop since he got back from that one day in Switzerland. Remus, James, Kingsley, and Tonks all stormed Chateau Miranda last night. No one said anything about him acting weird. He found your wand,” he said, nodding to Harry. 

“Yeah, he left it for me on the table,” Harry said. 

“Mather and Brian didn’t let slip anything that might have suggested they had Harry’s parents?” 

“Mather and Brian were dead,” Sirius said matter of fact. “Killing curse. Guess Milan wasn’t happy you got away,” he said, looking at Harry. 

“Oh,” Harry said. He didn’t know why, but he hadn’t expected that. 

“Lily also sent Hermione to check in on Harry instead of coming herself,” Tom said. 

“Huh.” The Animagus sat down on top of the desk. “That is strange. The only reason James didn’t see Harry the second he got back was because he was tracking down a false lead in Berlin. Turned out to be a completely different criminal. He made me promise to check on Harry…” He was frowning again. “Why did he ask me to check on Harry instead of Lily?” 

“… He knows,” Tom said. 

“That’s crazy, he’d have said something,” Sirius said, but he didn’t sound too sure of himself. His head snapped up, his eyes widening. “I need to go ask Remus.” He slid off the top of the desk and stopped at the door. “Stay here and don’t go with anyone, unless it is James.” He was out the door then, leaving the two alone. 

“This is mad,” Harry muttered. 

“Never a dull moment with you.” 

Harry glared at his boyfriend but couldn’t deny that. It seemed his run of horrible luck wasn't done yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double digits. Amazing it’s gone this long considering it was supposed to be a one-shot. Got to love organically evolving stories. I feel like I’ve said this quite a few times now… So, if you’re tired of hearing me say it, just ignore it. Most people ignore my mini notes, anyway.   
I’m also wondering where in my deranged mind I possibly thought I could pull a chapter like this off.   
Warnings: It’s shounen-ai, yaoi, slash, gay, Harry and Tom are dating. Remus and Sirius are married.  
WARNING 2: This chapter contains horror and gore.   
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Harry glanced at the clock. They’d been waiting for Sirius now for well over fifteen minutes, his unease growing with each moment. Tom looked distracted, but about what, Harry wasn’t sure. There were plenty of things for Tom to be thinking about right now, like what the hell had he gotten himself into by dating Harry in the first place. What was going on, how had the Ministry of Magic screwed up so bad? Yes, these were all perfectly good questions and Harry wanted answers to them as well. The only one that could give him answers however had run out the door and hadn’t come back yet. 

A sigh escaped his lips as he took in the room again. It was nothing more than a box with carpet, a dark empty desk, and wooden chairs. Not exactly a charming place to spend any time in and even worse when you were waiting anxiously for someone to return. 

_It is an interrogation room,_ Harry thought_. It not supposed to be comfortable; it was meant to make other witches and wizards uneasy._ There might even be a spell on the room to cause negative feelings if you stayed in it for too long. It would be just like his godfather to forget to mention something important like that. 

Maybe telling Sirius everything in this room may not have been the best idea. He didn’t think someone was impersonating his godfather, but there was always that slight chance. And he’d hadn’t suspected anyone of impersonating his mother. 

_I’m such a bad son, _he thought, the grim feelings washing over him and pulling away just as fast. Sirius hadn’t noticed it either, and he spent more time around his mother than he did. 

“Will you sit down,” Tom asked sounding irritated. “Pacing isn’t going to make Sirius come back any faster.”

“I’m letting off pent up energy,” Harry said. He was so wound up, he felt like screaming. He didn’t know what was going on anymore, no one seemed to, Tom probably had a better grasp of the situation than he did. Of course, his wonderful boyfriend hadn’t uttered a single word as to his thoughts on this new twist concerning his parents. He kicked the leg of the desk. 

Tom sighed. “Don’t break any toes.” 

Harry glared at his boyfriend and turned so his pacing took him away from Tom. Why were they sitting around waiting back here, anyway? Was the backroom somehow safer than the rest of the office? If it was, no one had told him. He approached the door and wrapped his hand around the knob. His stomach twisted into a knot. What if the door was locked? If it didn’t open, that meant Sirius wasn’t who he was supposed to be. It also meant they were screwed. With the silencing charm on the room, no one would hear them screaming. They could be stuck in the room for days until someone happened to open the door. 

“What are you doing,” Tom asked. 

“Panicking,” Harry replied calmly. He held his breath as he attempted to turn the knob and let it out as it opened. The sounds from the Auror’s office rushed into the small room. The magical defenders were running about, some holding papers, others yelling to one another. One Auror ran into another one, both cursing before they separated and went on their way. 

“Looks like you infected the entire office,” Tom muttered from behind Harry. He shook his head, as he took the scene in. 

“I thought the door might be locked,” he explained.

“Doubting your saint,” Tom asked. Despite the words, there was no trace of amusement on his face. 

“I just thought he’d be back sooner…” 

“Something’s going on,” Tom muttered. He stepped out into the office. A swarm of flying notes rushed past them. They broke at the center of the room, a note landing on each desk. No one seemed to pay them any mind, instead focused on their current chaotic endeavors. Tom moved towards the nearby desk and picked up the folded note. 

He opened it up, Harry letting out a gasp. His mother’s photo was on the note. She was smiling brightly and waving at them, the words “Lily Potter has been kidnapped!” written on top in large bold letters. Below the photo read, “There is reason to believe someone is impersonating Lily Potter. If you see Lily, immediately take her into custody, no matter what she says.” 

“Looks like whatever Sirius and Remus talked about, they decided your mother was kidnapped.” 

“Yeah.” Seeing the note and photo made everything feel surreal. How long had she been gone? Before he returned from school? After? Had he cried in front of an impersonator at the inn? His face burned at the mere thought of someone besides his family knowing how pathetic he could be. 

“They’ll find her,” Tom said, resting a hand on his upper arm. Harry could feel the warmth through the fabric of his shirt, a smile tugging on his lips. Whatever was going on, he could get through it as long as he had Tom with him.

“I know.” Tom set the note back down on the desk. While they’d been examining the note, the everyone, but a select few had left. “Do we just… stay here until Sirius comes back,” Harry asked. 

“That’s what he told us to do,” Tom said. 

“What if he doesn’t come back today?” It was rather early, maybe around ten. The idea of sitting in the Auror office all day until Sirius came back, maybe came back, wasn’t appealing. And that would leave Hermione sitting downstairs in the lobby by herself too. 

“You want to disobey your godfather,” Tom asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No,” Harry said quickly. “But we could just as easily be at his house waiting.” 

“The Ministry is safer,” Tom said. 

True, but not practical. Harry wanted to be an Auror, loved spending time with his dad here, but being stuck in the office without his family, with the room empty except for a handful of witches and wizards was a different matter. The Aurors that had stayed behind were new. They wouldn’t talk to Harry about anything going on. He wasn’t sure they’d talk to him about the weather at this point. 

“So, what can we do,” he asked. He started towards his father’s desk again. He didn’t know what he expected to find, but hopefully there’d be something. As they arrived at James’ desk Harry sighed with extreme disappointment. Scowling, he dropped into his father’s chair. Someone, probably Sirius, had grabbed every single file off the desk. He couldn’t remember ever seeing his father’s desk so clean. Even the post-it notes sat in one corner, stacked on top of each other. 

A quick look around the room told him the other desks had been cleared off as well. The only thing left showing the Aurors were after Milan was a map with some red dots on it and the magical notes on the desks with his mother’s photograph. 

“Do we have to stay in the office,” Harry asked looking up at Tom. _Why am I asking for permission?_ He didn’t need his boyfriend’s okay to leave the office. _I’m still here because Sirius asked me to stay put, not Tom._ But he knew that wasn’t completely true. Tom had been put in a rather odd situation and he wasn’t required to stay with Harry. He could leave and go back home whenever he felt like it. But Harry wanted Tom to stay, which meant making sure his boyfriend was okay with what he decided to do next. 

“We should give Sirius more time before,” Tom said. He sat down on the top corner of James’ desk closest to Harry. 

Harry sighed again, his eyes going to the ceiling. 

“Your saint will figure everything out,” Tom tried to assure him.

Harry glared at his boyfriend. “I just can’t believe I didn’t realize someone had impersonated my mum, all right? And we still don’t know if my dad is being impersonated and this whole thing is just crazy,” he said. “How does something like this even happen? I hadn’t even heard of Milan before this.” 

“That’s because you don’t pay attention,” Tom sighed. “In your defense, Milan wasn’t the most dangerous wizard running around and you were maybe four when he was arrested.” 

“You know about him,” Harry muttered, dropping his gaze to his boyfriend. 

“According to you, I know everything,” he said smirking. 

“Because you do,” Harry said, sitting up in the chair. The only sound now was the shuffling of papers by the few Aurors that’d remained. He opened his father’s desk drawers just in case there was something to find, but nothing screamed out “clue!” unless his father had hidden something inside his stack of unused post-it notes. 

“I don’t,” Tom said. He slid off the desk so Harry could open the drawers on the left side of the desk. These drawers had prank items in them, but nothing else. “Harry.”

“Hmm?” 

“I don’t,” Tom repeated, grabbing his wrist. “There’s a lot I still have to learn.” 

“If you say so.” Tom might have a few things left to master, but it probably wasn’t much. Maybe he didn’t know how to apply makeup to witches or something unimportant like that. “Are we missing something?”

“There’s nothing to miss,” Tom said snickering. “We were told to wait for Sirius and we’re waiting.” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” He didn’t want to sit around and wait, but there weren’t exactly a ton of choices either. He doubted Tom would be okay with them examining the map with the red tacks and looking into one of the locations. Even Harry thought that was an awful idea. He was just bored. And if he was bored, Tom was probably ready to cry. “You don’t have to stay with me,” Harry offered.

“And risk the Ministry of Magic being overrun just so you can get kidnapped again? Worry that the Auror office somehow exploded with you in it? Should I sit in panic at Dumbledore’s only to find out you hung yourself in the office out of boredom,” he demanded, his eyes flashing with anger.

“I would not hang myself out of boredom,” Harry pouted. He couldn’t promise the other two things wouldn’t happen, because, with the way his luck had been going, those two options were possible. But he would never, ever, hang himself, not out of boredom. Even at his lowest moments, suicide had never crossed his mind. 

“So, you don’t refute the other two possibilities?” 

“I was kidnapped by a wizard in front of a Muggle restaurant. How can I completely deny the other two possibilities to you without the risk of lying?” 

Tom sighed, a smile appearing on his face as he sat down in Harry’s lap. The Gryffindor immediately felt a rush of blood going to his face. Tom’s lifted his hand to Harry’s cheek, the other resting on the chair’s armrest and leaned in kissing him softly. 

“T-Tom...”

“You’re bored,” Tom said. “Let’s fix that.” 

The new Auror that’d been flirting with Tom earlier walked by. Harry shot him a smirk when he glared at them. 

“You’re quite possessive, aren’t you,” Tom asked leaning back. He looked pleased.

“I don’t know, this is my first relationship,” he said. “But you’re one to talk.” He wasn’t sure if Tom wanted him to be possessive of him or not.

“I never claimed I wasn’t possessive.” He kissed Harry again, this time on the neck, the Gryffindor’s eyes closing, his fingers digging into the chair’s fabric seat cushion. “I just didn’t expect it from you.” 

“Who wouldn’t be possessive of you? You were already getting hit on when we first walked through the door,” Harry said, his eyes narrowing. And it wasn’t just at the Auror’s office. Every time Harry was somewhere with Tom, everyone’s eyes immediately went to his boyfriend. 

“I will always choose you,” Tom promised, kissing him on the forehead. He leaned back, his eyes dancing. “I know you’re getting anxious, so how about a compromise?” 

Harry looked at him questioningly. “What did you have in mind?” 

“Leaving the Ministry is too dangerous and would only send your godfather into a panic,” Tom said. “You’re at the Ministry quite a lot, yes?” Harry nodded. “So why don’t you give me a tour?” 

“A tour,” Harry repeated, giving Tom a look. Why would he want a tour of the Ministry of Magic? “There aren’t many places we can go without my dad or my godparents with us.”

“It’s still better than sitting here watching you slowly lose your mind, right?” 

Harry wanted to say he was not slowly losing his mind, but he knew he’d be lying if he said that. So, he just nodded instead. “Okay.” 

Tom climbed off his lap. 

Harry grabbed a blank piece of paper and a quill from his father’s desk and wrote “went to look around.” He lifted the phone and set it down on the note so it wouldn’t fly off the desk. “Okay. Let’s go.” 

Tom took Harry’s hand, and the two of them made their way to the elevator. No one stopped them at least, or maybe the other Aurors just weren’t paying attention. Harry pressed the button, the door sliding open. They stepped inside.

“Where too,” Tom asked. 

Harry gave a small shrug. “I guess the Atrium. We can see if Hermione is allowed to join us yet.” 

“I thought you were jealous of Hermione,” Tom asked, his amusement clear.

“I am,” Harry said. He was no Hermione and the chances of Tom falling for her were quite possible, but Hermione was his friend. “You and Hermione will end up talking again. She’s my friend. If I can’t trust you two to interact, then our relationship is off to a bad start.”

“That’s rather mature of you.” Tom kissed Harry on the cheek just as the door slid closed. 

_Yeah, real mature_, he thought. He also kept wondering why Tom was kissing him every few sentences. It wasn’t that he minded, just that they were in public, and if someone saw them….

The elevator dropped down one floor after another. Usually it was jammed pack with people, flying notes, even the occasional owl or two, but it was just the two of them right now. Which was really odd. Even if the Auror department was on high alert, the rest of the departments weren't. 

Harry could feel the frown forming on his face, his stomach twisting as the elevator continued to drift down.

"M, maybe we should have stayed upstairs," Harry mumbled. Something in his mind told him they needed to go back to the Auror’s office. 

"You were the one who wanted to leave," Tom pointed out.

"Yeah? And when have I ever been right," he demanded, hitting the button to go back up. 

"What's gotten into you," Tom asked. He sounded a little uneasy. 

“I think I just feel guilty not waiting for Sirius,” he said. He wasn’t sure if that was true or not. It was unlikely that Sirius would get angry about them going off, but then, this wasn’t a normal situation either. He’d never had a group of crazy wizards trying to kidnap him or someone impersonate his mother before. 

"You realize the elevator will still go all the way down before going back up, right?” His uneasy look had turned into one of obvious worry. 

Harry cursed. Maybe he was just being paranoid. It wasn’t the busiest time at the Ministry. The elevator didn’t need to be filled. 

_Still…._

The elevator slowed down. 

Harry dropped his hand to his pocket, ready to grab his wand should the need arise. He hoped not. But the empty elevator had nothing to do with his dark feelings he realized. So, what was it? 

Tom glanced his way and shrugged, pulling his wand out. "Best to be prepared, even if we are up against a bunch of office workers," he said smirking. 

The elevator stopped.

"Ground floor, main entrance, Floo powder network travel, and help desk," the familiar witch's voice said. 

The doors opened painfully slow revealing... absolutely nothing. Ministry workers ran about, talked, waved to each other. The fountain still had water shooting out of it. The front desk had a line of people waiting to get in. The chairs lining each side of the walls just before the front desk were full of people waiting on others to meet them. 

"Well that was anticlimactic," Tom mused slipping his wand back into his pocket. 

Harry was glad to see everything was fine, but it didn't explain the sudden feeling of dread. Was he becoming paranoid when anything was a tiny bit different from usual? "I think I'm losing my mind," he sighed, putting his wand away. 

Tom wrapped his hand around Harry’s own. "It's called being on edge. All things considered, it's not surprising. But I am with you now, so try to relax.” 

Harry nodded, still feeling like a fool. He hoped this paranoia wouldn't last. Attending school would be impossible if every closed door he saw made him feel this way. 

"It will pass, I promise," he said giving Harry a large smile. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed. "Personal experience." 

"Right," Harry said, looking away his cheeks burning. Even in the most normal of situations, Tom was so cool. And supportive. And knowledgeable. Basically, everything Harry was not. He could read every book in the Hogwarts’ library and it would hardly bridge the gap in their knowledge. But for the first time, he wanted to try. He wanted to learn and to somehow catch up with Tom, to prove to him he could be just as great a wizard as he was. 

"Good." He released Harry’s shoulder. "Let's go get Hermione." 

They stepped out of the elevator and headed for the entrance. Harry held Tom's hand tighter. The further they moved from the elevator, the darker his feelings grew. “I still feel it,” he whispered. A few wizards walked by them, heading for the elevator they’d just left, talking about the upcoming Quidditch game.

“That’s okay.”

Only it wasn’t. He shouldn’t be feeling like this at all. It wasn’t normal or right. He wasn’t even sure how to put it in words and risk sounding mad by trying to tell Tom, but something was different. He didn’t know what, couldn’t actually see it, but something had triggered this feeling. 

They made it to the entrance where Hermione had been sitting in one of the chairs. A witch they didn’t know was sitting there now holding a Styrofoam container. She was probably bringing someone their breakfast or lunch. 

“I wonder where she went,” Harry said.

Tom shrugged. “Probably home. It wasn’t necessary for her to stay.”

“Maybe.” Or something terrible might have happened. “We should send a letter to make sure,” he breathed, freezing as he did. “No…” He could see his breath. 

Tom noticed it too and pulled his wand out, Harry fumbling for his own just as a Dementor flew towards them. There were screams from the witches and wizards as they ran from the front desk. The people in the chairs didn’t hesitate to bolt. They scrambled away, rushing out the front door without looking back. Others on the first floor ran, only three near the fireplaces putting just enough distance between them and the creature to take their wands out and aim. They must have tried to cast Patronus because Harry could see the white silver smoke pouring out of their wands, but not much more.

“You said you can cast a Patronus,” Tom asked quickly.

“Yeah.”

“Come on.” 

They moved towards the Dementor, Harry’s heart pounding. He’d never fought a Dementor before, just knew how to cast the spell to remove it. Facing a Dementor wasn’t exactly a must know at Hogwarts. The overwhelming dark feelings that Remus had warned him about were worse than he’d imagined. Images of both his parent’s dead, Milan standing in front of them smirking flashed through his mind. Remus and Sirius shaking their heads at him, expressing their disappointment in him for getting kidnapped. Reminding him how stupid he was, that he’d never be an Auror. Then Tom, leaving him because Harry could not even come close to everything that Tom was. All of it his fault because he was so worthless. 

Two more Dementors rushed into the hall.

_It’s just the Dementors,_ he told himself. Shaking, he lifted his wand and aimed it at the closest Dementor. Just do the spell. He tried hard to think of a good memory, shifting through all the depressing truths that were now overwhelming him. He knew he had plenty of happy memories, but for the life of him, he could not remember one that would give him the energy he needed to cast his Patronus.

“Harry,” Tom said, his voice calm. “Just remember last night.” As if to prove his point, Tom pointed his wand at one of the Dementors that’d just entered the room. _“EXPECTO PATRONUM!!”_ A large snake stood tall in striking position. It held for only a second before it lunged forward, its vast mouth snapping shut over a Dementor. The scream that followed made Harry shudder.

_Right, think about last night_, he said, trying to focus his thoughts. Tom’s hand brushed his own, Harry’s face burning. He managed to focus on Tom and him making out in his bed, a warmth surging through his body.

“My turn,” he said, refusing to let the happy images go anywhere. _“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_ A white stag stampeded out of his wand and rushed the nearest Dementor, sending it flying into the wall behind it. The three other Ministry workers that had attempted to fight gasped and ran towards them.

“Nice,” a wizard panted. “James’ boy, right?” 

Harry nodded. He needed to focus on the Dementors, to pick the right one. 

_“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_ A huge dog came bounding forward, its jaws locking onto another Dementor’s throat.

“Remus found us,” Harry said, managing a laugh.

“Still two more,” Tom said. He moved his wand, the giant snake returning to Tom’s side before striking out at another Dementor.

“Show off,” Harry muttered, a grin on his face. The negative feelings were fading fast. He could do this. He was showing Tom just how capable a fighter he could be and despite how bad it was that Dementors had gotten into the Ministry of Magic building, somehow, he felt happy. It was fun standing against these creatures with Tom next to him. 

"I have to make sure I keep you interested in me." He swiped his wand and the giant snake lunged at yet another Dementor.

"Right, because you're not going to decide I'm too stupid to put up with and dump me," Harry asked. His Stag rammed into a Dementor that’d just turned the corner into the main hall. 

"Aren't Dementors great," Tom asked. "Sorry I didn't realize there were Dementors around. I guess you make me so happy, I couldn't feel their depression."

Harry’s face turned bright red. How was he even supposed to respond to something like that? 

Remus's Patronus ran into the last Dementor. 

"Harry! Tom!" Remus ran towards them. "Are you two okay?" He looked them over quickly. 

"We're fine," Tom said.

"Yeah," Harry agreed before he started to laugh. He felt alive and so proud of himself. He’d sensed the Dementors before Tom. He’d managed to survive his first encounter with a Dementor, and most importantly. He’d done it in front of Tom. He’d shown him he was capable of something. 

“What about you guys,” Remus asked looking at the other three workers. 

“Fine,” the wizard who’d talked to Harry before said. “James has taught this one well.” 

“Remus taught me the Patronus charm,” Harry said. 

“We can brag later,” Remus said. “I have no idea how many Dementors are in here, come on.” 

Screams erupted from further down the hall. They all turned to look, people running towards them. As the first two witches ran past them, howls erupted throughout the ministry, the sound echoing around them and sending chills down Harry’s spine.

Tom looked at Harry, his face paling. 

"Go," Remus ordered. He grabbed Harry and pushed him forward, Tom and him breaking into a run. Remus followed right behind them as more howls followed, each one causing Harry more fear. 

"What are they," Harry asked.

The howls grew louder, and Harry could hear a new sound, one that sounded like a herd of animals running their way. More Ministry workers were exiting from elevators, some hurt, some running, others standing their ground. The three that had tried to cast the Patronus broke off from their group to help those that were hurt. 

And then Harry saw them. Giant black dogs that put Sirius's Animagus form to shame came sprinting down the hall. Large fangs protruded from their mouths, their eyes a burning coal red, bulging muscles on their legs, and jaws. Skin pulled so tight around their frames that you could see the outline of their bones with each movement where the muscles were small.

_Hellhounds!_ One of the dogs launched themselves into the air and landed on one of the wizards who'd decided to stay and fight. The wizard hit the floor and the hellhound bit down on the back of his neck, a sickening crunch resonating towards them. 

Spells began flying in every direction. Pieces of the wall fell, statues inside the fountain crumbled, and flames shot up from the front desk. More hounds bounded towards them. In a matter of seconds, the main hall had turned into a war zone.

People and dogs screamed alike, not just in fury, but in pain. The sounds of bones cracking, skin getting ripped into it, blood splattering. Harry didn’t know how he heard any of it with all the noise, but he did. He heard every popping noise, every slurp. Every crunch.

"Remus! We can't let them out of the Ministry," Tom shouted.

Remus grimaced and nodded. "Keep running!"

"Yeah right," Tom muttered. He turned; wand raised_. "GLACIO UMBRA!!"_ A blue light shot out of Tom's wand, colliding into a hellhound. The creature fell, freezing in place, causing other dogs to trip over it. 

More shouts from other workers filled the room. Harry saw one hellhound pounce onto a witch, its mouth grabbing at her throat. She tried to push it away, but it began shaking its head in a deadly dance. Her legs gave out, and she fell to the floor, no longer moving. 

"Harry, get outside," Remus ordered.

"I'm not leaving you or Tom!"

More howling, not just from the ones nearby, but also further down the hall. Just how many hellhounds were in the building?

Remus aimed; the same blue light Harry had seen from Tom’s wand coming from his wand. It hit two dogs, their frozen bodies slipping backward and causing more of the hounds to trip and fall. It bought maybe twenty seconds if they were lucky; the hellhounds getting back onto their feet faster than should have been possible. 

Somehow, more continued to come. They poured out of all the fireplaces and from the back hall. Harry didn’t know the spell to attack hellhounds. But he had to try something because everyone was going to die if he didn't help. Probably even if he did, but he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. 

Spells fired from all directions, some blue, some red, Harry even saw a pink one fly by. One horribly aimed spell flew overhead and hit the ceiling. Small pieces rained down on Harry’s head. He stepped back just in case the ceiling decided to give way.

A hellhound charged him.

_"FLIPENDO!!"_ The dog flew landing on a group coming towards them. Who could possibly control so many hellhounds, who could find this many? Harry didn’t know much about the creatures, but he was pretty sure they didn’t travel in packs of thirty or more. And he was even more sure that a hellhound wasn’t exactly the easiest magical creature to find and round up. _This is crazy._ He dodged another hellhound, this one almost biting into his arm. _“STUPEFY!”_ The hellhound collapsed. 

More Ministry workers entered from the front doors. He recognized a few as Aurors. Others stood behind them as the first group rushed in. 

_Where’s Remus and Tom? _They were no longer following him. He scanned the hall behind him, but it was impossible to tell where anyone was. The hellhounds had taken over the hall, swarming over everyone and everything that got in their way. He trusted Tom and Remus to be okay, but he wanted to see them all the same. If one of them got hurt and he could have prevented it, he’d feel horrible. 

A growl to his left alerted him to another attack. He sidestepped, managing to only get a scratch from the dog’s front paw across his shoulder. Growling, he continued to attack each hellhound he could aim at. One, four, six. There were so many now, even if he cast spells in random directions, it was almost impossible to miss. 

A massive trembling beneath Harry almost cost him his balance. His eyes widened as something blue caught his eye. His mouth fell open as he took in the giant wave of water at the end of the hall rising, the edges of it brushing against the ceiling. The width of the wave stretched from one side of the room to the other, making avoiding it impossible. He took a small step back, his breath catching in his throat. 

Time Froze.

And broke free. 

The wave came crashing down on everything in its path. It slammed into the walls, breaking huge chunks free, it swept the pieces of fountain forward, and chairs, and anything else in its path, the debris ramming into hellhounds and any unlucky person still inside. Glass from the windows of stacked offices shattered and sank into the water. The contents within the offices mixed into the rushing madness. Every added piece of furniture doubling the wave’s deadliness. 

Harry turned and bolted for the entrance. He didn’t know who’d been crazy enough to cast such a spell, but they had and now it was coming for everyone. Destroying the entrance hall must have been a last-ditch effort to contain the hellhounds. 

He slipped as a thin layer of water ran beneath his shoes, just managing to stay on his feet. He could see the Ministry workers who were standing just outside the door holding a shield in place to keep the hellhounds in. One of the creatures lunged at a witch standing behind the shield. It bounced off, flying back in the air. A small group of workers ran through the shield while the hellhound regained its footing. 

An overwhelming amount of pain connected with Harry’s back. His mouth opened to scream, but the air shot out from his lungs. He hit the floor; his arms stretched out in front of him. It felt like someone hit his back with a metal pipe. _Move you, idiot_, he growled at himself, but no matter how much he tried, only his fingers twitched. 

More water rushed past him, slowly rising around his body. The wave was coming, and he was going to drown.

_“VENTUS!” _

Harry’s eyes flickered to the entrance. A powerful wind surrounded him just as the wave bulldozed its way past him. The wind turned into a vortex, the water shooting away from him. _I’m safe,_ he thought, letting out a breath. He still couldn’t move, but someone, he was pretty sure Tom, had shielded him. He took in a small amount of breath and it let out, hoping the shield at the entrance would keep. It was too risky to let even a single hellhound into the Muggle city, and how would they explain the water? _Why can’t I move?_ It didn’t feel like a body bind, more like an explosion had gone off behind him and thrown something into his back. 

The ground beneath him began shaking again. _Another wave? _Had the first one really not stopped the hoard of hellhounds? He could hear the floor straining, cracks forming beneath him. _Shite._ What looked like white vines broke out of the ground. They rose, waiting just a second as if to make sure he was indeed their target, and then attacked. They darted towards Harry, wrapping around his wrists, his ankles, and waist. He tried to pull away, but his body still wasn’t listening to him. The ropes clamped down and began pulling down. The floor cracked more. It gave way. And Harry was falling. 

The foundation beneath the floor flew past his eyes as his body raced down. It gave him the sickening sensation of Appearating. It was all happening so fast. 

His body hit the ground, any breath he’d regained leaving him. A choked groan escaped his lips. His body hurt, bad, bright yellow lights shooting across his vision every time he blinked. He strained his ears to pick up any noise, but all he heard was a high-pitched ringing. 

He was still in Ministry at least, that much he knew, but he had no idea where. None of it looked familiar. He was inside a dimly lit circular room with multiple doors evenly spaced out around him. 

“Are you okay?” Harry managed to turn his head, a tall blurry figure approaching him. “I pulled too hard, but with that wave coming, I didn’t want to risk you drowning.” The figure sighed.

“Dad?” 

“REPARO!” He placed Harry’s glasses onto his eyes. “Better?”

“Not exactly,” Harry said, grimacing. There was a chance he’d broken quite a few bones. 

“Right.” James held his wand over Harry, a golden light flowing out of it. It wrapped itself around Harry’s body, reminding him of a warm blanket. “Crap.” He grabbed the rope binding Harry’s wrists just as the light vanished and jerked him back. Water cascaded down from the ceiling and began to carpet the floor. “Can you walk?”

“No,” Harry said, staring at his father. 

James arched an eyebrow before grinning. “Right.” He tapped Harry’s wrists, the ropes falling away and vanishing. “Now can you walk?”

Harry nodded. Despite his wounds being healed, he was shaking. He was never going to be able to unsee the hoard of hellhounds running towards him or the giant wave. Or forget the sounds that he’d heard. He shuddered, wishing he could at least forget how close to death he’d been. If Tom hadn’t cast that spell… “Where are we,” he asked trying to distract himself. If he didn’t, he was sure his mind was going to go into shock. 

His dad nodded to a large wooden door and started walking towards it. Harry followed him. “We’re inside the Department of Mysteries, but we’re not staying.” He opened the door revealing a hallway maybe five feet long with nothing but an elevator at the end. 

Harry walked out of the room. He was only slightly curious about what was behind all the other doors, but right now he just wanted to get out of the Ministry. James shut the door once they were standing in the hall. 

“There were hellhounds in the elevators,” Harry whispered. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory of the group of Ministry workers who’d run from the elevator to the door getting ambushed. 

“Yeah, a few,” his dad said as he hit the elevator call button. “We’ll be careful.” James looked Harry over again while they waited for the elevator to come. “You look pale.”

“I… It was horrible,” he said wrapping his arms around himself. 

The elevator doors opened, and James stepped inside. “Come on.”

Harry almost followed, then hesitated. “How do I know you’re not Milan?” 

James smiled and took out his wand. He gave it a quick wave, his silvery Stag jumping out in front of him. “Good enough?” 

“Yeah,” Harry said, joining his father in the elevator. “… So now what? How do we save mum?” 

“I’m going to meet Remus and Sirius and you’re going into hiding until we get back,” James said. 

“I can help,” Harry shouted, his arms falling to his side. He owed that much to his family. Hadn’t he just proved himself in the entrance hall?

“I know,” James said, smiling. 

“Then let me!”

“If Milan catches all three of us, it’s over. He won’t kill anyone until he has the whole family.” 

“I was doing just fine fighting the hellhounds and the Dementors—”

“Dementors,” James asked, cutting Harry off. “There were Dementors? Did they kiss anyone?” 

Harry shook his head. “No, there was a handful in the Atrium.” He tried to remember how many there had been, but even in his mind everything was a blurred rush. “Tom and I took care of a few and Remus got the rest.” 

For a second, the smile returned to his father’s face. 

“You took out your first Dementor?” 

“Yeah,” Harry said, a slight smile forming. 

“Wish I’d gotten to see that.” 

“It was going okay until the hellhounds came.” Harry had been sure they were going to be okay until he’d seen the hellhounds coming towards them.

“Harry.” His father’s voice was serious. “When these doors open, we’re going to make a run for the entrance. Ignore everything else.”

“Should we really go to the Atrium,” Harry asked. “The Dementors left, but there were so many hellhounds,” he said never wanting to see another one. “And all that water. We might drown.”

“No, the water will be gone by now,” James said. “Unless someone triggered the charm again.”

How were they supposed to know if the charm got triggered again? The elevator could open, and water pour in—

“I’m joking,” James said, patting Harry on the shoulder. “Calm down. The elevator’s door won’t open if the charm is being used,” he explained. 

“O, oh…” Harry didn’t think now was the time for jokes, but he knew his father well enough to understand that he was just trying to get him to calm down. “Sorry, I’m such a coward,” he muttered.

“You’re not a coward,” James said, looking at him in surprise. “This is the first time you’ve ever fought Dementors or Hellhounds and you aren’t on the floor a sobbing mess.”

“Yet,” Harry said because that’s exactly what he wanted to do right now.

“But you’re not,” James said. “And sometimes that makes all the difference.” The elevator stopped. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” The doors opened, both holding their wands. Luckily, the entrance hall wasn’t flooded as his father had said. James took a step out. Harry didn’t have time to react. His father flew back into the elevator, his wand falling onto the floor. Harry heard himself scream as the hellhound bore down onto James. Without thinking, he rammed the dog with his shoulder. 

The dog slipped off James, its head snapping towards Harry. The elevator door closed, locking the two of them in with the hellhound. He took aim, but the hellhound dove at him, clamping down on his arm. He screamed as pain tore through his body. He didn’t know what to do and drove his wand into the hellhound’s ear. The dog yelped and jumped back, baring its fangs. He ran the foot it took him to get next to his father. _“IMPEDIMENTA!” _A large blue bubble surrounded them. The hellhound smashed into the shield and bounced off, its growls intensifying. 

_Merlin, my arm hurts_. He turned to look at James. There was blood seeping out of his throat, and his eyes had taken on a glassy look. “DAD!” The hellhound slammed into the shield again. He put his wand to James’ throat. _“Vulnera Sanentur!”_ A small white ball of light shot out of his wand into his father’s wound. Despite his shaking, the blood began to slow down. _Thank Merlin_. _“Vulnera Sanentur!”_ ‘Three times,’ his mother had told him again and again when teaching him the spell. ‘If it’s a really bad wound and you don’t want the person to die, repeat it three times, just to be safe.’ James’ eyes no longer seemed so dead. _“Vulnera Sanentur!”_

James sat up coughing, his hand going to his throat.

Harry let out a breath, the hellhound howling at them.

“Oh, thank Merlin your mother taught us first aid,” James gasped before he started to laugh. 

“No kidding,” Harry muttered. Even if he didn’t want to be a healer, knowing spells like this were a great help.

“She’s going to kill me for getting so much blood on this shirt though.” 

“What now,” Harry asked. He wasn’t sure his shield was going to hold against too many more attacks. 

“I’m going to teach you a new spell because I need a break.” Harry stared at his father. Was this really the time for this? “Glacio Umbra is the best spell to use against a hellhound. See its eyes?” 

“Yeah…” If you looked close enough you could see flames swarming around the black coal pits.

“That’s actual fire. The spell freezes the hellhound’s spirit, stopping it in its tracks.” 

“That’s the spell Tom used,” Harry said. 

“Go ahead, before it breaks through the shield.”

Harry raised his wand, letting all his anger flow into the spell_. “GLACIO UMBRA!!”_ The blue light hit the hellhound, Icicles forming across its body. The fire inside its eyes flickered and died. “Ugh.” He fell back against the wall, exhausted. 

“You’re going to make one hell of an Auror,” James grinned. He wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulled him close. “But I think we both have to admit defeat. I don’t have any energy left right now.”

“Me either,” Harry said. 

“Guess we better hope nothing else comes at us.” The elevator stopped at the next floor, the doors opening. It waited a moment and when no one moved to leave or come on, the doors slid closed again. “It’s going to take a while before we’re back at the entrance unless someone calls the elevator back down. We might as well catch our breaths.”

Harry nodded, resting against his father. He could use a break and it was comforting to know that his father was really his father and by his side.

The elevator stopped at the next floor and waited. 

“I hope Tom’s okay.” He knew how stupid that was. Tom was the last person he should worry about given his strength and knowledge, but he still wanted him to be okay. “And Remus.” He frowned, looking at his dad. “What about mum?”

“Milan has your mother,” James sighed. “Sirius and I were trying to think of a way to track him when the alarms went off.” 

“What were you doing here, anyway?” 

“I’ve been staying at the Ministry instead of going home. Not the safest place right now.” That was an understatement. Any time James and Harry had been alone with the imposter could have been the end of them.

“Any idea how long she’s been gone?” 

“A few days before you came home.”

Harry frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me? Or someone?”

“I wasn’t sure,” James said. “If I had claimed your mother was being impersonated, and she really wasn’t, I’d never hear the end of it.” He closed his eyes. “Besides, I didn’t want to risk you getting hurt.”

The doors shut, the elevator moving once again. 

“…When were you sure?” 

“At F.A.I.R.Y. she was talking with a group of healers and got your birthday wrong. I started bringing up other things and she kept answering oddly. And when has your mother ever turned down a chance to eat ice cream with us?”

“I just thought she was mad at me, because of wanting to be an Auror and I might have failed my O.W.L.S. than Tom got involved.” He was such a bad son. If he’d taken the time instead of getting wrapped up in his emotions, he could have figured it out and helped his dad.

“Are you kidding? Your mother is one of the biggest Tom Riddle fans I know. When she finds out you’re dating him, she’s going to demand an autograph, before she runs off and tells every single person who’ll listen to her.” 

“She wouldn’t do that, would she,” he asked horrified. 

“I wouldn’t put it past her. At least I know she won’t divorce me for him. She’d never steal your boyfriend from you.” 

“You are joking,” Harry said, scowling. 

James smiled at him as the elevator came to another stop. 

“Yeah, but you feel better now, don’t you?”

Harry thought about that. “Yeah,” he admitted. For the moment, he wasn’t thinking about the massacre he’d just survived. “Thanks.”

**(TBC)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have rewritten this chapter over twelve times. (This is becoming a norm, and it's driving me crazy.) None of it seems to work. So, I enlisted Gar’s help, considering it is her birthday gift. It helped out a bit, but I've still been bashing my head into a wall for weeks. At this point I'm ready to write "and Harry’s summer finally ended" in huge, bold letters in a single file and let everyone else insert their own endings.   
I… I did it. I finished the chapter! x happy sob x I was beginning to think no matter how many times I rewrote this, it wouldn’t work. Oh, thank goodness.   
Warnings: This is shounen-ai, yaoi, gay, slash, Tom/Harry and Sirius/Remus  
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

The elevator ride of horror as his father so nicely called it had Harry wishing the Ministry had been kind enough to install a stairway on both sides of every floor. They still had a few levels left before they were back to the atrium, and if things didn't speed up, he was going to go mad. To think they were stuck in this stupid elevator while everyone else was dealing with leftover hellhounds, possibly Dementors, and whatever else Milan might have let loose during their mentally torturous ride. That two wizards could cause so much damage, so much chaos and fear, felt unreal. How many people had gotten hurt or had died, because two wizards had joined to take revenge on the Ministry?

He closed his eyes. How could the Ministry let something like this happen? He’d grown up thinking the Ministry was something you couldn’t stand against. That people like his father and Sirius would stop you from doing any sort of wrong, that they would keep innocent people safe. How wrong he’d been.

"Is this the elevator they put criminals in to drive them mad," Harry asked, trying to push his dark thoughts away. Not just the fact that the Ministry had failed, but that these people who’d so easily overthrown the building and everyone within it had his mother.

The elevator stopped yet again, its doors opening and waiting. Harry decided he officially hated this elevator and wanted it destroyed after his father and him got off it. The elevator on the other side allowed you to bypass the other floors and go straight to your destination. Why did this one require you to visit each and every single one? Each time the door opened, their eyes would immediately go to the opening. They’d hold their breaths until they were sure nothing was coming for them. Wash and repeat because it wasn’t like Harry wasn’t already a mental mess after everything else that had happened. Why not add paranoid terror right after seeing your first slaughter? Get them both over with in the same day so you can recover faster! If you could recover from something like this at all.

James let out a loud laugh. “No, but that’s a good idea. I’ll put it in the suggestion box once this is over.”

“If we ever get back to the eighth floor,” Harry said. The elevator had taken them all the way to the first floor and now they were making their way back down. Right now, they were on the third floor waiting for the stupid door to close. They’d intended to try to get some rest before returning to the Atrium, short as it would be, and had so far only managed to produce more adrenaline and nervous laughs. 

_This is exhausting._ He wished it’d move faster. He needed to make sure Tom and Remus were okay. Though the idea of either of them being anything short of perfectly fine seemed impossible, it didn’t stop him from worrying. One small step out of place and it could have been Tom in the tidal wave. With as horrible as his luck was, it was shocking Tom was still standing. A miracle they were still dating.

Harry’s stomach sank, remembering Tom's words from the night before. He'd just told Harry he couldn't handle chasing after him anymore. And then this happens less than twenty-four hours later. Yeah, that sounded right based on his summer luck streak. 

Getting back to Tom was not only the most important thing ever now, it was also the last thing he wanted. There was a good chance once Tom made sure he wasn't dead, he'd dump him. 

Milan already had his mother, and he'd probably be single after they made it out of this nightmare ride. And he felt guilty that his relationship with Tom seemed that much more pressing than his mother's safety, but he knew without a doubt that they'd get his mother back and that she would be okay. Tom was the one he wasn't getting back. And while he knew avoiding Tom wasn't going to stop them from breaking up, he didn't want to hear those words from Tom's mouth. It would be easier to just let it all fade into the background of his life rather than have it cut off with a single harsh sentence. 

_No!_ He didn’t know how yet, but he would somehow make Tom see he was worth keeping. Somehow… Because even if they did make it out of all of this, he wouldn’t see Tom much, if at all once school started again. They could exchange letters, but how could he prove anything to Tom that way? Why would Tom even bother staying with him once he returned to Hogwarts, even if they were on good terms? Tom would be traveling the world and he would still be at school. Any normal couple would split up anyway until after Harry graduated. By then Tom would probably have found someone far more suitable for him. Someone that didn’t vanish at the drop of a hat.

“We will,” his father assured him. “Eventually.”

Eventually was the problem. Harry wasn’t sure his heart could take the door opening and closing until they reached the Atrium again. And what if they did and there were still hellhounds waiting for them? They had probably taken care of the stragglers by now, but there was always that small chance a few had gotten away. It only took one of those creatures to kill someone.

He glared at the door, his frustration mingling with anger. He wanted to go with his father to save his mother and for Milan to pay for all of this. The logic of keeping him hidden from Milan to ensure his parents lived even if captured made sense, but also made him feel useless and cowardice. Besides, he’d go mad sitting at home waiting for his parents to return. They couldn’t risk anyone staying with Harry either, so he’d be isolated from the world until their return and there was no guarantee that would be anytime soon.

“Is there anything I can do at all,” he asked. There had to be something, anything, to be helpful to his family. He wasn't a coward, and he'd show everyone he wasn't useless.

“Let’s make it out of this elevator before we decide anything.”

“Okay… How did Milan get out in the first place?” That was a good place to start and get his mind off the door opening and closing, not to mention the rest of his life collapsing around him. The door opened revealing nothing, but a long darkness sucking them in. Not physically, but mentally. They both jumped, hearing a noise far in the distance. The doors slid such before they could make anything out.

James sighed. “Someone was kind enough to gather up a large group of guilty Muggles and lead the Dementors away from Azkaban. Sirius said they found about forty Muggles with their souls sucked out. Milan and his friends just walked out the front door.”

"And no one noticed?! How did no one realize seven people were missing from their cells?"

“That’s just it,” James said, grimacing. “More than seven got out, there were so many, we didn’t realize Milan was one of them.” 

"There were only seven files on your desk. Both Sirius and Remus said only seven people escaped."

James shook his head. "That's just the public story to keep everyone calm. There were at least twenty. The seven everyone we’re after are just the worst. Milan isn't known for killing witches or wizards, so originally we weren’t even after him."

"He killed the family in the village!"

"He probably didn't know they had magic."

_That's wrong_. All of this was wrong. Milan's actions and attitudes towards others. The Ministry's lack of control over Azkaban. Milan kidnapping his mother. This. "So how did they decide who to go after first?"

James let out another sigh. "In order of how dangerous the prisoner was to other witches and wizards. Until now, Milan only targeted Muggles." 

"Shouldn't Muggle killers be the ones we go after first considering how defenseless they are?!" 

"I don't make the rules—"

"You don't follow them either," Harry snapped before his father could finish. How could the Ministry be so blatantly stupid?

“You're your mother’s kid when you're mad.” His father grabbed his shoulder. The door before them was open, the hall before them submerged in darkness. The only visible sight, a single hand stretched towards them, fingers twitching.

“Harry—” A red light flew towards them. They managed to dodge to the side, James cursing again. He was up in seconds, a blue spell shooting from his wand into the darkness. “Move!” Harry shoved himself into the front right corner of the elevator opposite of his father as a green light struck the back wall of the elevator. The wall crumbled where the spell had hit, cracks spreading out from the source.

_Was that a killing curse?_ They were going to die or get caught or something. This was his first time seeing the killing curse, but the dread it brought forth was unnerving.

The cracks branched to the floor and ceiling of the elevator.

“Dad!”

“I know, on five,” he shouted, holding two fingers up. Harry nodded. The light in the elevator flickered and gave out. “One.” He took a breath. The small light charm over the twitching hand faded. The other elevator was on the opposite side of the floor. How were they possibly going to get there? “Two.” He grabbed Harry’s wrist. They rushed the door, a groan erupting around them followed by a thunderous snapping of metal. Harry turned despite being unable to see. He could hear a rush of wind before he could feel it. In the darkness he couldn’t see the floors speeding past, but the sensation was there, his stomach rising into his chest.

What sounded like an explosion met his ears. James was no longer holding onto him as his body flew up. He slammed into the ceiling of the elevator before he fell back to the floor. And nothing.

**(X)**

The first thing Harry noticed was how much he hurt. Every bone, every muscle, screamed at him. He wasn’t too happy with himself either, though he couldn’t remember what he’d done to end up in such an awful state. He'd been in the elevator with his father, trying to make it back to the Ministry entrance. Back to Tom and then nothing.

_Dad…_ He hoped his father was okay. 

"What happened?" 

“Elevator got hit with a killing curse.”

"Ngh." He knew that voice. Someone grabbed his hand, and a hiss escaped his lips.

"Can you move?"

"I think so." He managed to sit up and regretted it immediately as the world spun and a new onslaught of pain coursed through his body.

"Any chance you still have your wand?" 

Harry felt his pocket. "No." 

"Me either." James let out a sigh. "If you can walk, we need to go. Whoever destroyed the elevator knows where we are." 

That made sense. Groaning, he forced himself halfway up. His legs protested and searing pain ran through his back, followed by warm liquid. "I think I'm bleeding."

"I'd be surprised if you weren't…. Honestly, I'm surprised we survived at all. Whoever attacked us wanted us alive." 

That wasn't good, but then when was the last time his life had been good? "Is there another exit down here?" 

"No, but plenty of places to hide." 

They started down the short hall and entered the room James had pulled Harry through the floor. He was glad to see that there was no more water rushing through. "Dad! The hole in the floor!" He staggered towards it, hope filling him. The hole was big enough for them to get through.

“Harry, we have no idea if anyone is still up there.” He glanced at the door that led to the small hall. “We don’t have the luxury to call for help right now.” He grabbed Harry’s arm and pulled him towards the next door. 

Reluctantly, Harry followed. 

They walked down a slightly longer hall, this one ending in a single door. "We'll get into a lot of trouble going in here, but we don't really have a choice."

Harry nodded, wishing he had his wand or that his dad had his. 

James opened the door revealing a huge circular room, doors set at equal distances from each other. There were at least ten, all of them identical. 

"What door?"

"No idea. If we're lucky, one we won't be found in or eaten by who knows what." He shut the door, and the room started spinning at high speed. The doors blurred into a single splash of dark brown until the color of the wall vanished. It continued to spin for a minute or so before it began to slow. The individual doors gradually took their shapes again. "Any preference?"

Harry gaped at him. "With the luck I've been having this summer!?"

“Good point,” James said, grimacing. He sighed and pulled Harry to the door directly in front of them. Once inside, he shut the door. “Oh boy. Well, we could have picked worse.” He walked further into the room. “Don’t worry, the doors will spin again, it’ll take a while before anyone finds us. With any luck, someone else will get our attacker before he gets us.”

“Where are we?” The room contained several shelves full of potion vials, their liquids all different shades of pink, purple, and blue. A couple of plain wooden chairs were to the left of them, next to a small round table. The rest of the room looked normal, blank white walls, a simple wooden floor. Nothing to suggest anything dangerous.

“Believe it or not, this is where Unspeakables study love.” That would have been Harry’s last guess. “These are love potions and antidotes. Not that they only study love potions.” They crossed the room, heading for the very back wall where a bookcase filled with a few books, but mostly handwritten journals stood. “Don’t touch anything yet.”

Harry nodded. “Is it just this room?”

“Afraid so. If they come in, we’ll have to outmaneuver them.”

“Without our wands?” 

“I’m open to suggestions. I know you were remarkable at wandless magic as a seven-year-old, did you by chance not outgrow that?”

Harry glared at his father. Of course, he’d outgrown being able to use wandless magic. If he was desperate enough, he might be able to manage a minor spell, but nothing like when he was seven and accidentally caused all the Dursley’s windows to shatter after a particularly foul insult from his Uncle Vernon. It had happened less and less as he’d gotten older and stopped after he’d gotten his wand. Maybe they should teach wandless magic at Hogwarts. That way when situations like this occurred, the magic user had options.

“Could we use anything in here?” They were in a room filled with love potions, after all. All they had to do was get the person chasing them to drink one. If nothing else, it should buy them enough time to make it back to the elevator and find their wands.

“If we can find the right potion, probably.”

“We should probably start looking.” The problem was, most of the potions had no labels, at least not in the normal sense. Directly beneath each potion was a single letter. Nothing that even hinted at what they were or what they might do.

“Maybe we can just throw a bunch of them at once.”

“So, just grab a few,” Harry asked.

James nodded. They loaded their arms full of potions and went back to their hiding spot. Together they’d grabbed fifteen different potion bottles, all of them different, or at least different looking. “We’ll need to be careful while we’re throwing these. Our attacker is going to have a wand and they might throw one of these back at us.”

Harry nodded. Somehow the prospect of being hit with a love potion seemed scarier than the fall in the elevator. He didn’t want his feelings for Tom to fade or end up corrupted by feelings for someone else. They were special and he needed to protect them at all costs. _If Tom will even talk to me after all this._

“You really like Tom, don’t you,” James asked.

Harry gave his father a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“You’re smiling.”

Was he? He brought his hand up, touching his lips, finding proof that he was. How could he possibly be smiling during a time like this? If their attacker found them, if he captured them, there would be no more Potter family. “I, I guess…”

“If just thinking about him makes you smile despite the fact we’re being chased by a killer, I’d say you like him a lot.”

This was not the time to be talking about such things. They should be preparing for whoever might walk through the door. Coming up with ideas on how to hit him with potions before he could react. What escape route they’d take to get around the attacker and back into the spinning door room.

“I’m glad,” James said, stopping Harry’s thoughts. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t give up on Cho and would end up spending the rest of your life alone.”

“I would have found someone else eventually,” Harry protested. Perhaps not at Hogwarts, maybe not until after he was far away from Cho and working, but he would have found someone. Wouldn’t he? Tom seemed like the perfect person for him, and they’d only met by chance. If his mother hadn’t won the F.A.I.R.Y award this year, they probably would have never met. Even if they did, Tom would probably be with someone else. He couldn’t imagine Tom being single for any long length of time. Once he finished with one person, he could have whoever he wanted next.

How many others had probably thought they were truly special to Tom though? Believed they would be with him forever? _We’re only sixteen._ His parents had met at Hogwarts and ended up together. So had Sirius and Remus. None of his parents’ other friends had stayed together with the people they'd gone to school with. What were the chances he’d stumbled across his own perfect partner by complete luck?

Here he was worrying about his relationship at the worst possible time, and they probably wouldn't even be together by the end of the month. Had he ever allowed himself to get so sidetracked with his priorities because of his feelings for Cho? No, and the only reason for it now was because of the way Tom had spoken to him. He'd made Harry believe he was important. And he might have been, but with all the horrible things happening, he couldn't blame Tom if he wanted to break it off. 

Well, since his relationship was over, there was no sense in worrying about it. Best to prepare for his next relationship with whoever that turned out to be. “How did you and mum know you wanted to stay together?”

“Well, I'm not sure about your mother, but around my fourth year I realized how cute your mum was. She didn’t want anything to do with me, though. When I realized how much it hurt that I might never get to see her again after our sixth year ended, I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I practiced with Remus my entire summer on how to behave better so she’d at least give me a chance.”

Harry had heard of the “personality training” Remus had given his father. Sirius had dubbed it the Remus’s Bootcamp of Love and often joked about it when the two of them drank a little too much and usually referred to Remus as the master general. 

“What about Sirius and Remus?”

“They had an odd relationship,” James said, grinning. “They both knew they couldn't stand being away from each other, but Remus wouldn't acknowledge his feelings to Sirius directly. He had no problem telling anyone else, but whenever Sirius asked him out, Remus refused him. During our fifth year a girl asked Sirius out and Sirius was mental enough to tell her he’d think about it. The next day was our Hogsmeade trip, and Remus had a ring on Sirius’s finger.”

“R, really?” He'd known Remus had told Sirius about his feelings during a Hogsmeade trip, but this was not even remotely close as to what he'd thought when his godparents had mentioned it. In his mind, they'd gone to Hogsmeade and enjoyed each other’s company while awkwardly admitting how much they cared for one another. Not Remus towering over Sirius and shoving a ring on him to warn the world to stay away. 

“Oddly enough, he still refused to acknowledge Sirius directly as his boyfriend until our sixth year.”

“Wh, what?” That didn’t make any sense. “If Remus knew he wanted to be with Sirius, and even gave him a ring to make it official, why would he still deny him?”

“You know, Remus could never give me a straight answer on that. Sirius told me their Valentine's date, if you can call it that, included Remus giving him a ring and threatening to never speak to him again if he so much as touched another person. He spent the rest of the trip with Sirius, holding his hand and making sure everyone saw them. He even fell asleep next to Sirius in the commons that night. Sirius didn't know what to do. By the next morning, Remus acted like the day before hadn’t happened.”

"You're joking."

"No, but that didn’t stop Sirius from harassing Remus. He bought him a ring a few days later. Remus wouldn’t wear it, so Sirius put it on a necklace, and we slipped it on him while he was asleep. I didn’t know he’d charmed it so Remus couldn’t take it off.”

“And Remus didn’t curse him for it?” His godparents had a very strange relationship. Or at least it’d started off that way.

“Actually, Remus didn’t find out until a year later. He’d never tried to remove it until we'd gone to the beach, and he didn’t want to risk losing it in the water.”

“So, all of you just knew?”

"In a way."

"My mind doesn’t even want to process the thought of not being with Tom. But I think it's just because he's the first person I've ever dated and everything feels special.”

“Well, that’s a normal part of dating. You two might end up together, you might not. When you do end up with that special person though, you’ll know. You might not know immediately, but there will be a flash of insight sooner or later that, that’s the person you need to be with.” He patted Harry’s arm. “Feel better?"

Harry nodded. Once again his father had managed to distract him and for a minute at least, let him believe his life was normal again.

The door creaking open broke the silence of the room.

_Please be Sirius or Remus_, Harry pleaded. James was already crouch walking towards the end of the shelf they were behind. He gave a quick look and pulled back, frowning. “Don’t be alarmed, but it’s your mother.”

It took a second for Harry to realize his father meant that it was whoever was impersonating his mother, not his actual mother.

“I know you’re in here. I’ve checked all the other rooms.” 

_We should have watched and waited for them to go into another room and made a run for it once they were inside searching. _Too late now, but if they made it out alive, he’d keep it in his mental notes for future reference should something like this ever happen again.

James grabbed two of the potion vials they had set between them, Harry doing the same. With any luck, the impersonator would be expecting them to fight with their wands, not potion vials.

“You’re hurting my feelings by avoiding me like this.” A loud and drawn out laughter that made Harry shudder followed the words. He never wanted to hear a laugh like that come from his mother's mouth again. 

“Alexandre,” James whispered.

Meaning Milan was somewhere else, possibly even in the Ministry building. Alexandre and Milan could both be looking for them right now. And for what? Because _they_ had done something wrong and gotten caught. Harry’s summer had turned into one long free fall because some criminals couldn’t accept that _they_ were _wrong_ and properly paying for the crimes _they’d_ committed. Tom was the only thing that had gone right this summer for him, and he'd probably lost him too thanks to these arseholes.

His father went to the right side, while Harry moved to the left. If they both threw two potion bottles at the same time from different directions, the chances of at least one hitting Alexandre were good. When James nodded, he sprung up, Harry doing the same a few seconds later. All four potion bottles soared into the air. Alexandre, as Lily, looked surprised, but only for a second. His wand came up, the bottles shattering. James didn’t wait. He slammed into the nearest shelf with his shoulder. It rocked back and forth before falling forward, potions flying out in every direction.

A green light came at Harry, James jumping and grabbing him before it could hit him. It collided with another shelf; the contents exploding just as Harry and James stumbled towards the front of the room. Harry’s ears were ringing, but overall, he felt okay. 

Drops of potions began raining from the ceiling, and James forced Harry’s head down as they ran for the door. There was a loud, ear piercing, scream of rage from behind them and Harry had to force himself to ignore it. He knew it wasn’t his mother, no matter how much it sounded like her.

Together they made it to the round room. James slammed the door shut. Instantly the room began spinning. “Come on!”

Harry could hardly hear him, but the hand motion made what he was saying obvious enough. As soon as the doors stopped, James opened one and dragged Harry in. Somehow, they’d made it back to the hall. “Do you think one of the potions hit him?”

“Probably not enough to help us out,” James muttered. “We need to find our wands. As soon as they were at the elevator, or what used to be the elevator, they began searching frantically.

_“Accio wand!”_ Harry cursed when nothing happened.

“Good idea. _Accio wand!_” James' wand came flying out of the debris straight into his hand. Harry gave him a glowering look, James grinning. “_Accio Harry’s wand!_” A few seconds later Harry’s wand, banged up, but still in one piece, came flying into James’ other hand. He handed it to Harry. “Maybe stop leaving that behind.”

“What do we do now,” Harry demanded, refusing to acknowledge his father's jab.

“Get out of here,” James said. He waved his wand and suddenly a rope was shooting out of it. It flew through the air, up, up, and up, until it caught on some rocks just below the next floor’s elevator door. “I hope you can climb.”

“Me too.” Harry grabbed the rope and surprisingly, no doubt from the adrenaline, started pulling himself up. His father followed close behind. It felt like they were moving agonizingly slow, but soon enough they were in front of the elevator door.

“Alohomora!” Groaning, the heavy doors began slowly sliding open.

“Come on!”

“It’s going as fast as it can.”

Harry frowned, noting that his father was breathing hard. Somehow, the doors opened before Alexandre found them. Grabbing the edges of the door, Harry pulled himself into the hall on all fours, then turned and helped James in.

For a second, they just sat there, both of them breathing hard. The pain in Harry’s back returned, along with a new one in his leg. When he looked down, he could only stare, glass shards sticking out from just below his knee. _How did I even climb the rope…?_

“As much as we need to rest,” James breathed. “We need to get moving.”

“Should I take the glass out first?” There was only a small amount of blood trickling down his leg and he knew if he removed the shards, more would probably follow.

“If you don’t want the glass cutting anything important inside your leg.” Harry did not. “Hold still.” James bent over and carefully removed the three pieces of glass from Harry’s leg. _“Episkey!”_

A burst of warmth followed quickly by cold wrapped around Harry’s leg and then his back. The wound closed quickly enough, and the pain in his back stopped. 

Harry was on his feet, and they were running again. He was glad he’d been on this floor often enough with his father and Sirius, usually during the Quidditch season, to be able to maneuver its halls with such dim lighting. They turned the corner, getting closer to the end of the first hall when Harry found himself flying again. He hit the ground on his side, rolling until he struck the doorframe at the end of the hall. James slammed into him seconds later, both groaning.

Harry had to force his eyes open, but had no problems keeping them that way once he saw what was going on. The smell of burning carpet assaulted his senses first, followed by smoke and bright dancing light at the edge of the corner they’d just turned. “Dad!” He shoved his father’s arm roughly.

“I smell it,” he moaned, pushing himself to his hands. “I forgot how ruthless Alexandre was.” Somehow standing, they broke into another run.

_Just a few more turns._ They’d make it, Harry was sure of it. The bad part was, they’d have to make a choice. The stairs or risk the elevator_. If we have enough time…_ Another explosion shook the hallway, but it was far enough that they were able to remain on their feet. _This is mad!_

_One turn._ Harry’s lungs were burning, not just from the running, but from all the smoke covering the hall.

They made it past the second turn just as flames consumed the hallway behind them. A gasp escaped Harry’s lips, James giving him a rough push forward.

_Last one!_ Harry’s heart leapt. The elevator was right in front of them, the door to the staircase to their right. Harry hit the elevator’s call button.

“Harry!”

“I have an idea! Keep the door open!” The smoke had him coughing, his eyes watering. They needed to get out of here, but if he could throw Alexandre off for even a few extra seconds… 

The door slid open and Harry ran into the elevator, pushing back the sudden fear that gripped him. He hit three buttons and slid out, James removing his hand from the door once he was safely away from the door. The doors closed and the elevator began to rise.

Grinning, his father opened the door to the stairwell. They entered and started up the steps. Luckily, only a few wisps of smoke followed them.

“After the summer we've had, we deserve a whole year in Switzerland.”

“We do,” Harry agreed. The sound of a door closing caught both of their attention. Harry looked back down at the seventh floor door, but saw no movement to indicate that someone had gone through it and pointed above them. James nodded. _Are we trapped?_ They’d have to duel their way out if they were. Harry hoped they had the energy to lift their wands at this point.

This time Harry distinctly heard the door opening and closing beneath them. Cursing, the Potters began a slow crouch walk up the steps. Harry caught sight of blonde hair and knew this was it. They were going to have to fight. Somehow, they were going to have to find the energy and stop them. At least they’d already tired Alexandre out a bit.

The footsteps from both ends were walking calmly towards them. The two wizards seemed to know that they’d caught their prey. Harry and James would have to jump if they wanted to get past Alexandre now, but what was the point? The entire seventh floor was on fire. They could always try charging Milan.

“Stay calm.”

Harry gave a small nod, amazed at how at ease his father seemed. Alexandre arrived first, no longer in the form of Lily, but his real self, a crazed grin on his face. He had cuts and bruises all over his body. Fire had damaged the robes he was wearing. None of it seemed to matter to him though. Held tight in his right hand, hanging at his side, was his wand.

James immediately stepped in front of Harry.

“James, you know better than that,” Milan said, smiling. “You know we will not kill you until I have reunited you with your beautiful wife.”

“You know me, not taking any chances.”

Harry had never felt such a deep hatred towards someone. Milan was wearing a white suit now, an amused smile on his face. His eyes however seemed almost dead. “You have caused me quite a lot of trouble.”

“More than once,” James added.

Alexandre raised his wand, a red spell hitting James across the face, blood pouring from his cheek.

“DAD!”

“Don’t,” James hissed, holding Harry back with his left hand. “Stay behind me.”

“You are very protective of your son, as you should be. He is not the smartest person,” Milan chuckled.

_“PRAEFOCO!”_

A blue light hit Alexandre from above. His hands shot up to his throat, his knees buckling. Harry had no idea what Alexandre was struggling with, but he was losing, fast, his face already turning a dark shade of purple.

_"Sectumsempra!"_ The spell shot out of Milan’s wand and hit James, numerous cuts opening across his body. 

Harry felt numb watching the blood pour out of his father. This wasn't happening….

Harry’s wand snapped towards Milan. _“Confringo!”_

A shield came up, blocking the spell with ease, Harry’s rage growing. This _wasn’t_ happening! _This was not_ how his life was supposed to be!! He _was supposed_ to be in Switzerland with his family, having fun, snogging Tom. He _was supposed_ to be spending time with Sirius and going to Quidditch matches and celebrating his birthday. His parents weren’t supposed to die!!! 

_“BOMBARDA MAXIMA!!!”_ The air seemed to get sucked into Harry’s wand, even Milan staggered forward a step before the blast shot out. Pieces of the stairwell flew back, pinning Milan to the wall. Harry briefly noticed that one of the hand railings had impaled Milan in the stomach, but he didn’t hold back. He was DONE with ALL of it. Milan was going to feel all the pain and hatred he was feeling. The feelings that HE had caused him!

Suddenly Harry was sitting on the ground and blinking. He had no idea how he’d gotten on the floor, his father in a pool of blood beside him. In front of him to his left, Alexandre lied quite still. He ignored the later and shakily crawled towards James. He barely managed to move when his body collapsed, landing in the blood.

_Dad! Move!!_ He had to move!

He could see people running towards him. One of them looked like Remus. He gave Harry one quick look before kneeling next to James, his wand already out. A golden light surrounded his father.

And then someone was pulling him to his feet. “Harry!” It was the first sound he’d heard since the spell had sucked out the surrounding air. He stared at the person holding him up, trying to place a name to the face.

“Sirius?”

His godfather looked relieved. “Come on.”

“But…”

“We can’t stay here, there’s fiendfyre down there!” Harry nodded dumbly, not quite understanding why Sirius was so worried or what fiendfyre was. “Tom, can you walk yet,” Sirius shouted.

“Yes.” Tom staggered into view a moment later, his face twisted in pain. Harry admired his willpower to remain standing. The teen didn’t look wounded from what Harry could tell, but there was no doubt in his mind that Tom was in pain.

“Take Harry and get out of here. James is unconscious.” Tom gave a swift nod, wincing slightly and grabbing onto the nearest handrail. “Maybe don’t make any unnecessary head movements yet,” Sirius offered. 

Tom scowled. With Sirius’s help, Harry was leaning against Tom and what was left of the stairwell’s wall.

“Come on.” Slowly, the two of them made it up the stairs. Sirius and Remus joined them soon, Sirius helping the two teens walk while Remus levitated James.

“My dad’s okay, right?”

“He lost a lot of blood, but he should be fine,” Remus said.

“Worry about yourself,” Tom snarled.

Harry had never heard Tom sound so angry.

“Come on, we all made it out alive,” Sirius said. “We can scream at each other for being stupid after we’ve cleared the stairs.”

As if irony was the password, the door, given its charred appearance, Harry guessed it was the seventh-floor door, went flying into the air. It flipped in circles and slammed into the floor two flights above them with a loud crashing sound. The room immediately filled with smoke.

“You just had to open your mouth,” Remus muttered.

“I know you’re both tired, but we’re going to have to move faster,” Sirius said. Harry could hardly keep up now, but he also knew they were almost there. Tom looked like he might fall at any moment, and it relieved Harry to see that Sirius was holding onto Tom tighter than he was onto him.

They made it to the next landing, and Remus ran ahead, opening the door. “We need to get outside; the water charm is going to activate the second that fiendfyre makes it to the Atrium.”

Of course, it would, and none of them would survive if it did. As soon as Sirius got them out of the stairwell, Remus shut the door.

_“MUNIO!”_ Sirius shouted. A blue light enshrouded the door and vanished from sight. They started across the Atrium, the sound of something ramming into the door again and again following them. Despite their awkward and faltering steps, they made it to the entrance. Sirius shoved the door open, fresh air pouring into Harry’s lungs. People rushed them, a few Harry recognized, others he didn’t. “There’s fiendfyre on the seventh-floor,” Sirius said, answered by a round of gasps. “It’s headed for the Atrium.”

“Tom!” Dumbledore came running towards them, relief flickering in his eyes before worry returned as he took his adopted son’s form in. “What happened?”

“I… I had to save him,” Tom said, his eyes falling on Harry.

Dumbledore took Tom from Sirius. “Are you okay?”

“He’s just exhausted,” Sirius explained. “He used enough magic to make a full-grown wizard collapse.” 

“He was going to kill him…” He slumped against Dumbledore. “I wasn’t letting him take him from me…”

“Thanks,” Harry said, quietly, but he wasn’t quite sure what Tom was going on about. Maybe the exhaustion was making him confused. He knew he wasn’t reacting to things properly anymore. All he wanted was to find a place to lie down and sleep.

“I’m taking him home to rest—”

“NO!” A sudden surge of energy seemed to overtake Tom. He shoved Dumbledore away, the headmaster’s eyes widening as Tom staggered back and grabbed Harry’s hand.

“Tom—”

“EVERY TIME! I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR A SECOND!” He stared at Harry, his body shaking. “Every bloody damn time…” He started to pitch forward, Dumbledore grabbing him before he crashed into Harry.

The headmaster held him close, letting out a sigh. "I apologize. He's not exactly pleasant when he's tired."

"Sirius, we need to go," Remus said. 

Harry could hear the uneasiness in his voice.

"Dumbledore, we're going to be in hiding for a while. So, your prodigy here won't be able to use his location spell to find Harry."

"What exactly is going on?"

"Milan has Lily and almost just got Harry and James," Sirius explained. 

"Wouldn't the fiendfyre kill them," Harry asked.

"Alexandre was unconscious thanks to Tom, so he's probably gone. Don't ask me how Milan slipped past us with a metal pole shoved through his stomach, but he did." 

"Sirius," Remus whispered harshly. There were witches and wizards looking at them, and not all of them were kind looks. 

"Let's go—"

"James needs a place to recuperate. I would imagine the only private home with more security than number twelve would be my own," Dumbledore said. 

"We can't get you involved," Sirius said. “We’ll figure something out. You’re going to have your hands full once he wakes up and finds out he can’t get to Harry for a while.”

The idea of an unhappy Tom did not seem to sit well with the headmaster. He looked at his adopted son and frowned. "They're going to target us now anyway because of Tom."

Sirius grimaced at that. “I had no idea he was going to follow us. We told him to leave.”

“What’s done is done,” the headmaster said. “Now come on.”

Sirius looked torn, but as the crowd around them grew, he nodded. "Okay. Just until we can move on."

Dumbledore grabbed Sirius with his free hand, Sirius taking Remus's. Remus grabbed James and Harry took his father's limp, but thankfully warm hand and they all vanished before the growing crowd's eyes. 

**(TBC)**


End file.
